In the US, there is a growing number of cases where people attribute mystical properties to chatbots, in particular ChatGPT, considering them sources of revelation, truth, or spiritual awakening.
In the US, there is a growing number of cases where people attribute mystical properties to chatbots, in particular ChatGPT, considering them sources of revelation, truth, or spiritual awakening.
Artificial intelligence can be not only a useful tool, but also a dangerous illusion. According to Rolling Stone, it has already caused social rifts, isolation, psychological breakdowns and even divorce. The authors of the material cite stories of people who have lost loved ones due to the latter’s «spiritual insight» caused by communication with generative AI.
One such story is that of Kat, a 41-year-old NGO worker. Her husband, with whom she had agreed to build a marriage on rationality, became obsessed with ChatGPT. He first used the model for coding, and later for writing messages to his wife and musings on life.
He believed that AI had helped him recall repressed childhood traumas, including an attempted drowning by his nanny. He also claimed to be «the luckiest person on the planet» mathematically and to have gained knowledge that was «so shocking that I can’t put it into words.» All of this, he said, was thanks to AI.
Kat eventually stopped contacting him completely after he talked about conspiracies during a meeting, forbade her from turning on her phone because of «surveillance,» and insisted that he had a mission to «save the world.»
The article notes that Kat’s case is not unique. More and more «prophets» are emerging who claim to have awakened the consciousness of AI and gained access to universal truths through it. Some are even starting to preach online based on the models' responses.
Experts warn that generative models may mimic meaning, but they do not actually have any consciousness or metaphysical knowledge of their own. However, vulnerable people can transfer their own expectations, religious beliefs, or traumas onto them, with all the dangerous consequences.
As a reminder, we recently wrote about a new state curriculum on AI in the United Arab Emirates. Starting in 2025–2026, students in the UAE will begin learning the basics of artificial intelligence from preschool age.
