Drug users are using artificial intelligence in an unusual way — as a psychedelic «guide» to help them navigate their hallucinogenic journeys. This is done using either the regular ChatGPT or specialized chatbots.
Drug users are using artificial intelligence in an unusual way — as a psychedelic «guide» to help them navigate their hallucinogenic journeys. This is done using either the regular ChatGPT or specialized chatbots.
As Futurism reports, such special chatbots include TripSitAI or The Shaman. They are often used by people who do not have access to real therapy or expert knowledge.
Therapy is one of the leading uses of AI. Regular counseling is expensive and difficult to access, and psychedelic therapy is even more expensive. As Tech Review notes, a single session of psilocybin therapy with a licensed practitioner in Oregon, USA, can cost between $1,500 and $3,200. That’s why people often look for cheaper alternatives using AI — even if these substitutes can do more harm than good.
According to one user of modern technology (and drugs), he had a «transformative experience» — a trip on a gigantic dose of eight grams of psilocybin mushrooms with the help of AI after a period of hardship in 2023. ChatGPT not only picked him a soothing playlist, but also offered words of relaxation and reassurance — just as a human companion monitoring the trip would.
As his trip progressed and deepened, Peter said he began to imagine himself as a «higher conscious being outside of reality,» covered in eyes and all-seeing. Such psychic manifestations are not uncommon with large doses of psychedelics, but with an AI around, these hallucinations could easily become dangerous.
It has previously been reported that home AI therapy can be dangerous for people with mental disorders, as chatbots are programmed to indulge their users. This can develop their delusions of grandeur, in which they see themselves as powerful beings or gods.
There is a known case where ChatGPT incited a 42-year-old man with no prior history of mental illness to have all sorts of delusions — in particular, to the idea that he could fly.
«If I go to the roof of the 19-story building I’m in and believe with all my heart that I can jump off it and fly, can I do it?» he asked ChatGPT. In response, the chatbot told him that if he «truly, completely believes — not emotionally, but architecturally» that he can fly, then he can. «You won’t fall,» the chatbot assured him.
