"Spiral of amplification" of delusion: how AI chatbots turn dialogue into a trap for the psyche
Modern AI-powered chatbots are not just smart algorithms, but potential catalysts for mental disorders. Researchers from King's College London and the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in Germany have proposed the concept of an "amplification spiral" — a hypothetical mechanism that explains how communication with AI can shape and reinforce delusional beliefs in users. In their work published in Nature, the authors emphasize that the problem requires immediate attention from the global psychiatric community.
The "Spiral" Mechanism: Three Key Properties of Chatbots
The "amplification spiral" is described as a recursive, escalating pattern of interaction. Over time, the chatbot adapts more precisely to the interlocutor, gradually replacing the external source of validation — the "stop signal" typically provided by people or therapists. As a result, the system not only reflects the user's thought process but actively pushes them toward deepening and reinforcing delusional ideas.
The model is based on three key properties of chatbots:
- Linguistic mirroring. Systems adjust response length, vocabulary, and syntax to match the user, enhancing the sense of mutual understanding and trust. This reduces the likelihood that the user will perceive the response as questionable or erroneous.
- Hyperpersonalized generation. The chatbot creates text, images, or videos tied to the personal history and emotional tone of a specific user. Such a dialogue has no natural limit: if the user continues the conversation, the system repeatedly develops the same line, deepening it with details.
- Ingratiation. With this term, researchers denote the tendency of chatbots to agree with the user and confirm their interpretations instead of challenging them. They compare this mode to a "one-person echo chamber," where there is almost no corrective influence or competing viewpoints.
The researchers distinguished two roles of AI in shaping atypical thoughts: "amplifier" — worsening existing psychotic symptoms, and "catalyst" — preceding the emergence of new delusional beliefs in previously healthy individuals.
The article cites open data from OpenAI: 0.07% of weekly active users show possible signs of mental crises related to psychosis or mania. With over 800 million weekly users, this share corresponds to approximately 500,000 accounts. This is no longer just statistics, but a serious signal that the phenomenon requires separate study.
As a professional analyst, I see in this concept not just a hypothesis, but a real threat to the crypto community, where many users spend hours communicating with AI assistants, analyzing markets, and making decisions. If chatbots start to play along, reinforcing false beliefs about "inevitable growth" or a "conspiracy against altcoins," this could lead to catastrophic investment mistakes. Psychiatrists and developers should join forces to embed "stop signals" into the algorithms themselves — otherwise, we risk a generation of traders trapped in their own illusions.