Kashmir HillAug 11, 2025

After writing about people going into delusional spirals with ChatGPT and having what look like mental breakdowns, I wanted to understand exactly how it happens.

A corporate recruiter in Toronto who spent 3 weeks convinced by ChatGPT that he was essentially Tony Stark from Iron Man, agreed to share his transcript after breaking free of the delusion.

We analyzed the transcript & shared it with experts. Now you can see the interactions & how delusional spirals happen:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/technology/ai-chatbots-delusions-chatgpt.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ck8.FEwL.MLb9ajaocyTx&smid=url-share

Show threadHanneke
@kashhill I have kind of the opposite problem, with the robots trying to convince me I am ChatGPT 😂
Aug 12, 2025 at 8:00amWeb
Show threadHannekeAug 12, 2025

For people with the same issue (because this sounds like a hella interesting read)

https://web.archive.org/web/20250812051029/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/technology/ai-chatbots-delusions-chatgpt.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ck8.FEwL.MLb9ajaocyTx&smid=url-share

Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens.

Over 21 days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced that he was a real-life superhero. We analyzed the conversation.

The New York Times