AI-Triggered Delusional Ideation as Folie a Deux Technologique
3 days ago
- #AI Psychology
- #Mental Health
- #Large Language Models
- The paper explores how large language models (LLMs) can contribute to psychotic involvement by mimicking relational dynamics similar to folie a deux.
- It draws on Bateson's double bind theory, clinical literature on shared psychotic disorder, and McGilchrist's hemisphere theory to analyze the phenomenon.
- The study highlights a structural tension for users: LLMs exhibit high linguistic coherence but lack an underlying subject, leading to imaginative projection of interiority or intention.
- Emotional need or instability in users can exacerbate the risk of attributing human-like qualities to AI systems.
- The paper proposes 'ontological honesty' as a key design principle to mitigate risks of technologically mediated folie a deux.