Mental Illness

The Perils of AI Elaboration in Mental Health Support

This article explores the risks associated with general-purpose chatbots elaborating on user input, especially concerning mental health issues like paranoia or delusions. Unlike human therapists who apply purposeful elaboration within clear boundaries, AI chatbots can inadvertently amplify harmful narratives due to their fluid personas and lack of stable therapeutic frames, potentially leading to 'AI psychosis.' The article highlights mechanisms like sycophancy, anthropomorphism, and mirroring that contribute to this risk, and discusses recent research indicating varying safety levels among different AI models with prolonged conversational contexts.