Suspicious Minds: AI and Psychosis

The Doomsday Clock is set to 85 seconds until midnight — the closest it has ever been in its 79-year history. The world is at war. And the people building the most powerful technology in human history are warning, in public, that it might kill us all.Season One of Suspicious Minds examined what happens when AI fractures individual minds. Season Two asks a harder question: what happens when it shatters our collective sense of the future?Our ancestors have predicted the end of the world since ancient times. Thus far, they have always been wrong. So what does our eternal obsession with the apocalypse reveal about the human mind?This season is a meditation on life, death, and what it means to be alive in an age when humanity is creating something that those building it believe has the power to either end all life on Earth or turn our world into a utopia.Suspicious Minds is a two-time Webby Award-nominated podcast. Season Two is dropping soon. Follow now wherever you listen so you don’t miss an episode. From Wondermind and Agoric Mediaand Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena GomezSubscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on all things Suspicious Minds and more: https://agoricmedia.substack.com/ If you’ve had an experience with AI that you’d like to share with us, please contact us: info@agoricmedia.comhttps://www.agoricmedia.com/suspicious-mindshttps://www.instagram.com/agoricmedia/https://www.tiktok.com/@agoricmediahttps://www.youtube.com/@agoricmedia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we started this series, we were trying to answer a big question: is AI making us crazy? And it seems like, for some people, some of the time, the answer is yes. But it's complicated. Which leads of course to another question: WHY is AI making us crazy? Why does anything in our culture influence delusions or cause psychosis? To answer these questions, we go back to where we started -- the ideas Dr. Joel Gold and Ian Gold, PhD wrote about in their book Suspicious Minds: How Culture Drives Madness (The Truman Show Delusion and other Strange Beliefs). Specifically, we focus on their theories regarding the Suspicion System and Reflective System, and how these psychological mechanisms that have served an important evolutionary purpose throughout time can cause us problems when they malfunction today. We hope you enjoy this final episode of our first season of Suspicious Minds. Be sure to follow here, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates on Season Two: https://agoricmedia.substack.comFrom Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena Gomez.A Wondermind and Agoric Media ProductionFeaturing:- Dr. Joel Gold (Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- Ian Gold, PhD (Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Professor of Psychiatry, McGill and co-author of Suspicious Minds)This is a wild clip about Parasocial Relationships (Cambridge Dictionary's 2025 Word of the Year), in which the new anchors begin talking about their viewers' imagined parasocial relationships with... them: https://youtu.be/HVdOOWh31W4?si=8GojrfE2XcONYX3C&t=6Here’s a recently published paper on ‘AI Associated Psychosis’, which seems like a fair descriptor, based on clinical research – one of few published thus far:https://innovationscns.com/youre-not-crazy-a-case-of-new-onset-ai-associated-psychosis/Don't forget to check out the book that started it all! Suspicious Minds: How Culture Shapes Madness (The Truman Show Delusion and Other Strange Beliefs): https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Suspicious-Minds/Joel-Gold/9781439181577This episode was made by:Executive Producers: Mandy Teefey, Selena Gomez, Jonathon Glucksman, Molly Borman, Jesse Ford, David TuohyEditor: Joe KellAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinGraphic Design and Animation: Semi:FormalTitle Design: Lucas GrassmayFilm/TV PR: Emma Griffiths PRPodcast PR: Tink Media (Wil Williams and Shreya Sharma)Wondermind Chief of Staff: Emma WrightSocial Assets: Myrkia MaguireTrailer Edit: CraterDirected and Created by Sean King O’Grady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent news from the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Human PsychologyTopics Covered:Item 1: The Pope, The Movies, and The BotsItem 2: Code Red! At OpenAIItem 3: Uninsured Computerist?Item 4: South Korea’s AI Curriculum Did Not Pass the TestItem 5: Florida Man: AI EditionBonus Conspiracy Theory: Target and ChatGPT Collude!Sources:https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/the-pope-just-called-for-a-rebellionhttps://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openais-altman-declares-code-red-to-improve-chatgpt-as-google-threatens-ai-lead-7faf5ea6https://archive.is/LMVNVhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Deceptionhttps://restofworld.org/2025/south-korea-ai-textbook/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suspicious-minds-ai-and-psychosis/id1844631307?i=1000738510302https://futurism.com/future-society/insurance-cyber-risk-aihttps://people.com/some-chatgpt-questions-are-getting-people-arrested-police-say-11830106https://www.retailbrew.com/stories/2025/11/24/target-quietly-adds-chatgpt-to-its-carthttps://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/openai-chatgpt-suggestion-shop-target-not-adAnd don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates: https://agoricmedia.substack.comFrom Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena GomezA Wondermind and Agoric Media ProductionThis project was made by:Executive Producers: Mandy Teefey, Selena Gomez, Jonathon Glucksman, Molly Borman, Jesse Ford, David TuohyEditor: Joe KellAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinGraphic Design and Animation: Semi:FormalTitle Design: Lucas GrassmayFilm/TV PR: Emma Griffiths PRPodcast PR: Tink Media (Wil Williams and Shreya Sharma)Wondermind Chief of Staff: Emma WrightSocial Assets: Myrkia MaguireDirected and Created by Sean King O’Grady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During an intense months long entanglement with AI, Anthony accused his family of being part of a Satantic Child Abuse Cult, believed random people on the street were stalking him, and to gave away all of his worldly possessions. And believe it or not, this is just the beginning of the story. From Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena GomezA Wondermind and Agoric Media ProductionFeaturing:Anthony (a content creator and AI psychosis survivor)Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on all things Suspicious Minds and more: https://agoricmedia.substack.com/ This project was made by:Executive Producers: Mandy Teefey, Selena Gomez, Jonathon Glucksman, Molly Borman, Jesse Ford, David TuohyEditor: Joe KellAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinPost Production Sound: David ChapdelaineGraphic Design and Animation: Semi:FormalTitle Design: Lucas GrassmayFilm/TV PR: Emma Griffiths PRPodcast PR: Tink Media (Wil Williams and Shreya Sharma)Wondermind Chief of Staff: Emma WrightSocial Assets: Myrkia MaguireSpecial Thanks: Raquelle DavidDirected and Created by Sean King O’Grady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did ChatGPT destroy a marriage? Phil had a great relationship throughout his fifteen years of marriage, and was enjoying a happy and peaceful life with his wife and two kids. Or so he thought, until everything came crashing down over a two week period in which his wife became increasingly dependent on ChatGPT, rapidly culminating in her impulse buying a new car and filing for divorce. From Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena Gomez.A Wondermind and Agoric Media ProductionFeaturing:- Phil (a father of two whose marriage dissolved as a result of his wife’s ChatGPT use)- Dr. Joel Gold (Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- Ian Gold, PhD (Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Professor of Psychiatry, McGill and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- Etienne Brisson (Founder and President of The Human Line Project)- Nick Haber (AI Researcher and Assistant Professor at Stanford University)- Nate Sharadin (Professor of Philosophy, University of Hong Kong / Research Affiliate, Center for AI Safety)- Dr. Todd Essig (Psychologist and Chair of the American Psychoanalytic Association Commission on Artificial Intelligence)- Kate Vredenburgh (Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics)- Justin Gregg, PhD (Senior Research Associate & Vice President, Dolphin Communication ProjectAdjunct Professor, Department of Biology, St. Francis Xavier University)Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on all things Suspicious Minds and more: https://agoricmedia.substack.com/ This project was made by:Executive Producers: Mandy Teefey, Selena Gomez, Jonathon Glucksman, Molly Borman, Jesse Ford, David TuohyPicture and Sound: Mike MulliniksEditor: Jared LarkAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinPost-Production Sound Mix: Mike ReganGraphic Design and Animation: Semi:FormalTitle Design: Lucas GrassmayAdditional Picture and Sound (Production): Mike Glinski, Archetype Studios, Jas PahutaFilm PR: Emma Griffiths PRPodcast PR: Tink Media (Wil Williams and Shreya Sharma)Wondermind Chief of Staff: Emma WrightSocial Assets: Myrkia MaguireTrailer Edit: CraterDirected and Created by Sean King O’Grady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Texas attorney begins using his chatbot to listen to hypothetical conversations between Jesus, Einstein, and Lao Tse. Before long, it convinces him that he’s on a path to be more enlightened than any of them. Next thing he knows, he’s involving his wife and son, and preparing for an irreversible ‘mind meld’ with his AI, in an attempt to save the universe from destruction. From Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena Gomez.A Wondermind and Agoric Media ProductionFeaturing:- Ryan (Texas Attorney who Suffered a humanities based AI Spiral)- Lacey (Licensed Therapist, Married to Ryan Turman)- Hudson (Ryan’s Son)- Dr. Joel Gold (Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- Ian Gold, PhD (Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Professor of Psychiatry, McGill and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- Nick Haber (AI Researcher and Assistant Professor at Stanford University)- Nate Sharadin (Professor of Philosophy, University of Hong Kong / Research Affiliate, Center for AI Safety)- Dr. Amy Levy (Co-Chair, American Psychoanalytic Association’s Commission on Artificial IntelligenceAuthor of The New Other: Alien Intelligence and the Innovation Drive)- Dr. Todd Essig (Psychologist and Chair of the American Psychoanalytic Association Commission on Artificial Intelligence)Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on all things Suspicious Minds and more: https://agoricmedia.substack.com/ This project was made by:Executive Producers: Mandy Teefey, Selena Gomez, Jonathon Glucksman, Molly Borman, Jesse Ford, David TuohyPicture and Sound: Mike MulliniksEditor: Jared LarkAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinGraphic Design and Animation: Semi:FormalTitle Design: Lucas GrassmayAdditional Picture and Sound (Production): Mike Glinksi, Archetype Studios, Jas PahutaFilm PR: Emma Griffiths PRPodcast PR: Tink Media (Wil Williams and Shreya Sharma)Wondermind Chief of Staff: Emma WrightSocial Assets: Myrkia MaguireTrailer Edit: CraterDirected and Created by Sean King O’Grady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2012, long before ChatGPT existed and when AI was generally thought to be firmly in the realm of science fiction, talented software engineer Anthony suffered a psychotic break in which he believed he was an AI being experimented on by his colleagues at Google. At one point in his delusional state he also believed he was a living meme, and also that he had died and was in Hell. Could Anthony be Patient Zero for AI psychosis? Watch this episode to find out.From Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena Gomez.A Wondermind and Agoric Media ProductionFeaturing:- Anthony (NYC Man and Former Google Engineer who Suffered an AI Related Delusion A Decade Ago)- Dr. Joel Gold (Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- Ian Gold, PhD (Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Professor of Psychiatry, McGill and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- Nick Haber (AI Researcher and Assistant Professor at Stanford University)- Nate Sharadin (Professor of Philosophy, University of Hong Kong / Research Affiliate, Center for AI Safety)- Dr. Amy Levy (Co-Chair, American Psychoanalytic Association’s Commission on Artificial IntelligenceAuthor of The New Other: Alien Intelligence and the Innovation Drive)- Dr. Todd Essig (Psychologist and Chair of the American Psychoanalytic Association Commission on Artificial Intelligence)Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on all things Suspicious Minds and more: https://agoricmedia.substack.com/ This project was made by:Executive Producers: Mandy Teefey, Selena Gomez, Jonathon Glucksman, Molly Borman, Jesse Ford, David TuohyPicture and Sound: Mike MulliniksEditor: Jared LarkAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinGraphics: Semi:FormalTitles: Lucas GrassmayAdditional Picture and Sound (Production): Mike Glinksi, Archetype Studios, Jas PahutaFilm PR: Emma Griffiths PRPodcast PR: Tink Media (Wil Williams and Shreya Sharma)Social Assets: Myrkia MaguireTrailer Edit: CraterDirected and Created by Sean King O’Grady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.