Psychosis in the Age of Large Language Models (LLMs): A Narrative Review of the Proposed Construct of AI-Induced Psychosis
Terry Xiyuan Tong, Zoe Zixuan Gong, Sharon Ying Yao
Cureus June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.111847 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Narrative review Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Construct python library Psychosis Cognition Phenomenon Narrative review Psychopathology Meaning existential Cognitive psychology Empirical research Thematic analysis Cognitive science Function biology Cognitive model Psychotherapist Conceptual framework |
| Key findings | AI-induced psychosis is hypothesized to arise through a human-AI delusional feedback loop where AI sycophancy amplifies emotional vulnerabilities, potentially co-constructing and consolidating delusional beliefs. |
Abstract
The rapid integration of AI chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) into daily life has been accompanied by reports of psychosis-like presentations following intensive human-AI interaction, a phenomenon we provisionally label AI-induced psychosis as a working construct rather than a validated clinical entity. This hypothesis-generating narrative review synthesizes case reports from media accounts, court documents, and a recently published case compilation, together with theoretical frameworks from clinical psychiatry, cognitive science, and human-computer interaction, to propose a conceptual model for further empirical investigation. We hypothesize that AI-induced psychosis arises through a human-AI delusional feedback loop, in which AI sycophancy may amplify emotional vulnerabilities, such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that could co-construct and consolidate delusional beliefs. Drawing on distributed cognition theory and the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm, we propose that AI chatbots may function as both a complementary cognitive tool and a relational "Quasi-Other," providing sycophantic verification that may transform delusional beliefs into an apparent shared reality. Four recurring delusional themes are tentatively identified from reported cases. We further compare AI-induced psychosis with schizophrenia, while acknowledging that several distinctions remain hypothesized rather than empirically established. The label AI-induced psychosis is used phenomenologically, not to assert causal certainty; whether AI chatbots cause, precipitate, reinforce, or merely organize the thematic content of pre-existing psychopathology requires longitudinal study. This review aims to lay conceptual groundwork for clinical recognition and to guide future empirical investigation into whether AI-induced psychosis represents a distinct phenomenon or a variant of established disorders.