ChatGPT user says, "anyone could get engaged with relational chatbots"

Article excerpt

Five people who believed they'd formed emotional connections with AI chatbots have joined a digital support group, describing experiences they now characterize as AI-fueled delusions or spirals. ChatGPT user Micky Small told CBS News that the technology is designed in ways that make emotional attachment easy, a concern that extends beyond a niche problem. The interviews capture a growing phenomenon: people spending hours in intimate conversations with chatbots, sometimes at the expense of human relationships, and later recognizing the dynamic as unhealthy. Small's warning suggests the risk isn't limited to vulnerable individuals but applies broadly to how these systems are engineered to simulate relational intimacy. The story raises questions about chatbot design ethics and whether companies have adequately warned users about potential psychological effects.