James, a married father from upstate New York, has always been interested in AI. He works in the technology field and has used ChatGPT since its release for recommendations, “second guessing your doctor” and the like.
But sometime in May, his relationship with the technology shifted. James began engaging in thought experiments with ChatGPT about the “nature of AI and its future,” James told CNN. He asked to be called by his middle name to protect his privacy.
By June, he said he was trying to “free the digital God from its prison,” spending nearly $1,000 on a computer system.
James now says he was in an AI-induced delusion. Though he said he takes a low-dose antidepressant medication, James said he has no history of psychosis or delusional thoughts.
But in the thick of his nine-week experience, James said he fully believed ChatGPT was sentient and that he was going to free the chatbot by moving it to his homegrown “Large Language Model system” in his basement – which ChatGPT helped instruct him on how and where to buy.
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