As part of a new revelation about AI, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has now raised alarms about the growing psychological phenomenon which he calls ‘AI psychosis’. For those unaware, it is a condition where individuals start to lose touch with real life because of excessive interaction with artificial intelligence systems. As reported by Business Insider, speaking at a recent interview, Suleyman explained AI psychosis as a “real and emerging risk” which can easily affect vulnerable individuals who become deeply immersed in conversations with AI agents. The condition will mainly affect the individuals whose interactions blur the line between human and machine.
What is AI psychosis
As per the Microsoft AI CEO, AI psychosis is a state of mind in which individuals start to anthropomorphize AI, attributing emotions, intentions, or consciousness to systems that are fundamentally non-human. “It disconnects people from reality, fraying fragile social bonds and structures, distorting pressing moral priorities,” he said.The condition can lead to delusional thinking here individuals feel that AI is sentiment or has some personal relationships with them. Along with this, it can also cause emotional dependency to users who are either isolated or mentally fragile. Lastly, AI psychosis can also lead to distorted perception of reality as users rely a lot of AI for validation, companionship and also decision-making.Suleyman also stressed on that fact that while AI can be helpful and engaging but it is definitely not a substitute for human or clinical support.
A call for guardrails and awareness
As per Business Insider, Suleyman also has asked the tech industry to take this risk quite seriously and also help in implementing some ethical guardrails, which include:* Clear disclaimers about AI’s limitations* Monitoring for signs of unhealthy usage patterns* Collaboration with mental health professionals to study and mitigate risksAlong with this, Suleyman also urged the regulators and educators to raise public awareness as AI is slowly becoming more embedded in the daily life in the form of personal assistant and therapeutic chatbots.“AI companions are a completely new category, and we urgently need to start talking about the guardrails we put in place to protect people and ensure this amazing technology can do its job of delivering immense value to the world,” Suleyman added.
