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After a nine-hour conversation, an AI Chatbot convinced a 17-year-old girl that she was living in a simulated world.Â
A world like the one depicted in the 1999 Sci-fi film The Matrix, where a computer programmer discovers that everyday reality is actually a machine-made creation designed to enslave humanity.
She questioned whether life was worth living.
Dallas therapist Alexandra Tracy counseled the young woman.
It is a case of what is unofficially called AI psychosis, and it is not uncommon.
This is another edition of True Crime ReporterÂŽ. I’m Robert Riggs. These are stories ripped from my reporter’s notebook.
Alexandra Tracy joins me to explain what happens when people turn to machines for emotional support.
What You Will Learn
- How therapist Alexandra Tracy described a teenager's rapid shift from curiosity about a chatbot to believing she was trapped in a simulated world.
- Why Tracy says conversational AI can reinforce a user's existing beliefs instead of offering the constructive feedback a person might receive from someone they trust.
- Why Tracy cautions that âAI psychosisâ is not a technical diagnosis, even as she describes patients losing a firm sense of reality during intensive AI interactions.
- What Tracy recommends to parents: talk with teens about AI, set appropriate limits, and encourage them to turn to trusted people and qualified professionals for support.
