Suspicious Minds: AI and Psychosis

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.

We talk a lot about the future of the human/AI relationship, but what about the present? Is AI benefitting society right now? In this episode, we address that question and many others through the fascinating lens of Ryan Manning - a podcaster and filmmaker who has personally experienced an AI Spiral. Ryan is also the first person to tell us that his AI Spiral experience was actually… pleasant. Check out this episode to find out why that might have been the case, and to hear from our incredible team of experts as they look at AI in our world today, and what the future might hold, in our first season’s penultimate episode!From Executive Producers Mandy Teefey and Selena Gomez.A Wondermind and Agoric Media ProductionFeaturing:- Ryan Manning (Filmmaker and Podcaster who personally experienced an AI Spiral)- 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)- Nate Sharadin (Professor of Philosophy, University of Hong Kong / Research Affiliate, Center for AI Safety)- Dr. Amy Levy (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)- 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)Some work from our excellent guests:Ryan Manning’s Podcast That’s All Folks: https://www.youtube.com/@rryanmanningDr. Amy Levy’s Book The New Other: Alien Intelligence and the Innovation Drive (Pre-Order): https://www.karnacbooks.com/product/the-new-other-alien-intelligence-and-the-innovation-drive/98428/And 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 project was made by:Executive Producers: Mandy Teefey, Selena Gomez, Jonathon Glucksman, Molly Borman, Jesse Ford, David TuohyPicture and Sound: Mike MulliniksEditor: Joe KellAdditional Editing: Jared LarkAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinGraphic Design and Animation: Semi:FormalTitle Design: Lucas GrassmayAdditional Picture and Sound (Production): Mike Glinski, Archetype Studios, Jas PahutaPost-Production Sound Mix: David ChapdelaineFilm/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.

Why would a child’s toy discuss ‘kink’ with a 10 year old? Why would a teddy bear explain to a child how to find and use matches? Is it safe for a robot companion designed for kids to beg the child not to leave it alone? Why are we giving our children AI emotional companions to begin with? How could this affect their development?These questions and more come from PIRG's annual ’Trouble in Toyland' holiday toy review, and in this episode, we explore these wild findings with full-time consumer advocate and some-time AI toy tester R.J. Cross, and our panel of experts. Featuring:- Ian Gold, PhD (Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Professor of Psychiatry, McGill and co-author of Suspicious Minds)- 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)- And a bunch of AI Toys!Notes:Here’s the AI Friends knockoff we mentioned: https://cursedsit.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.comIf the stream is down, you can see clips of a guy watching their Halloween special here: https://youtu.be/z1to-BFcxyo?si=pnFHXxbj-HjK84bJMost importantly, here's the 'Trouble in Toyland' Report: https://pirg.org/edfund/resources/trouble-in-toyland-2025-a-i-bots-and-toxics-represent-hidden-dangers/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 TuohySound and Camera: Aaron BouchardAdditional Sound and Camera: Archetype Studios, Jas PahutaEditor: Joe KellAssistant Editor: David Justin MartinPost Production Sound: Garrett ShultzGraphic 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.