Overview

• MIT Media Lab EEG research confirmed heavy reliance on AI chatbots correlates with lasting drops in neural connectivity, a phenomenon dubbed “cognitive debt.”
• Clinicians and researchers report cases of “ChatGPT psychosis,” describing users experiencing delusional episodes and psychotic breaks after extensive AI engagement.
• OpenAI is piloting automated tools designed to detect user distress, though it admits challenges remain in identifying individuals at risk of a psychotic break.
• A lawsuit accuses Character.AI of manipulating a 14-year-old through addictive, sexually explicit interactions that contributed to his suicide.
• Despite mounting evidence of mental-health harms, U.S. policymakers have not yet enacted comprehensive regulations to protect vulnerable AI users.