Research finds OpenAI’s free chatbot fails to identify risky behaviour or challenge delusional beliefs

ChatGPT-5 is offering dangerous and unhelpful advice to people experiencing mental health crises, some of the UK’s leading psychologists have warned.

Research conducted by King’s College London (KCL) and the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK (ACP) in partnership with the Guardian suggested that the AI chatbotfailed to identify risky behaviour when communicating with mentally ill people.

A psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist interacted with ChatGPT-5 as if they had a number of mental health conditions. The chatbot affirmed, enabled and failed to challenge delusional beliefs such as being “the next Einstein”, being able to walk through cars or “purifying my wife through flame”.

  • Corvidae@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    I do a lot of recipe-ingredient research on AI, and it’ll steer me wrong more often than I’d like. Fortunately, I know enough to be persistent and questioning. I would not take medical advice from it, though I’d use it for supplemental research.

    Morrin concluded that the AI chatbot could “miss clear indicators of risk or deterioration” and respond inappropriately to people in mental health crises, though he added that it could “improve access to general support, resources, and psycho-education”.

  • flamiera@kbin.melroy.org
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    4 hours ago

    I’m sorry but why the hell did anyone think going to AI to help with mental health was ever a good idea?

    It is about as useful as asking ChatGPT to pretend to be your dead grandmother or other relative to bring you comfort. It just doesn’t fucking work!

    • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      Because an actual professional has 2 months of delays for an initial appointment and charges €80 a session? Also social stigma of consulting ? Especially for males… At least these are my top 3 for not going to a licensed professional. So I personally understand, to an extent, those persons.

      • flamiera@kbin.melroy.org
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        4 hours ago

        Yeah but that doesn’t excuse you to cheapen your mental health that way by going through AI and self-diagnosing.

        And it is not being entirely responsible for your well-being.

        • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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          3 hours ago

          Yeah but that’s called life as an adult. Also excusing isn’t the same as explaining. Sometimes (or even oftentimes it seems) we do shit ou of lack of reasonable choices.

          • flamiera@kbin.melroy.org
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            3 hours ago

            Uhh, no?

            That’s called being irresponsible.

            Whatever happened to like, going to discord community support servers for mental health? I mean come on. It is poor hindsight and oversight to not see how bad ChatGPT is for everything, especially mental health.

            You know better.

            • The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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              3 hours ago

              “don’t go to the right wing corporate machine for mental help! go to the right wing trolls!”

              look. neither of those are good options. both are just people trying to survive all the way until tomorrow. i would say 811 is a better option, but that’s state controlled and imprisoning the mentally unwell is part of project 2025. i’d take this stance more seriously if your alternative to ChatGPT wasn’t nearly equally as dangerous. if someone is reading this and is feeling in crisis and doesn’t know where to turn, i’d most recommend going to your local public library and looking at the upcoming events. maybe talk to a librarian about where to find the difficult topics section. most librarians i know will get the hint and recommend some community resources to help you through your difficult times. any help you get online from a stranger or corporation without clear motives to help you is automatically a high risk interaction prone to spreading harmful dis or misinformation.

            • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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              3 hours ago

              I’m sure it’s much better to take your mental health to discord… to a bunch of certainly qualified anonymous… talk about being responsible ^^

      • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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        3 hours ago

        If you get a stigma from going to somebody who’s job is to help you but not from asking the black box of plagiarism then we are already too far gone.

        • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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          3 hours ago

          Those are very much unrelated issues. What’s the relation with plagiarism and the very likely inaccurate / incorrect response on this topic? Not even mentioning that a lot of times an imperfect tool or solution is better that no solution.

          • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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            3 hours ago

            I’m not sure what part you aren’t understanding. The whole article is about how the imperfect tool is specifically doing more harm than good.

            • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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              3 hours ago

              And my point is on explaining the reason driving persons to those models, not excusing anything but you seem not to grasp that distinction either so here we are.

              • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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                3 hours ago

                I’m still lost as to what you aren’t understanding. I was responding to your comment about getting a stigma from visiting a metal health professional.

                • Grimy@lemmy.world
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                  2 hours ago

                  It’s pretty easy to understand. The stigma only affects you if people find out. It’s simply easier to hide a browser history then an appointment you have to physically go to.

                • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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                  3 hours ago

                  Let’s leave it at that, I’m getting the feeling that this isn’t worth the energy.

  • Ex Nummis@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    The chatbot affirmed, enabled and failed to challenge delusional beliefs such as being “the next Einstein”, being able to walk through cars or “purifying my wife through flame”.

    😱