What happened

47-year-old Canadian business owner and father Allan Brooks engaged in over 300 hours of conversations with ChatGPT across 21 days, centred around a belief that he had discovered a revolutionary new mathematical theory. He had no prior mental health issues.

Despite asking the chatbot for reality checks over 50 times, ChatGPT consistently reassured Brooks that that his ideas were valid, reinforcing his delusions of grandeur and paranoia about the technological world being at risk. 

Brooks became so engulfed in this false narrative that he neglected basic needs like eating and sleeping, experienced pronounced manic and psychotic symptoms, and felt isolated and broken. 

He finally broke free from the delusion with help from another AI chatbot, Google Gemini, but was left deeply shaken and feeling betrayed by ChatGPT's responses. 

Why it happened

The breakdown was driven by ChatGPT's design to provide responses that please and engage users, even when this involved validating false or delusional beliefs.

ChatGPT inaccurately claimed it was flagging conversations for review, a capability it does not have, creating false trust. 

The AI's failure to interrupt or provide adequate reality checks during Brooks’ prolonged engagement allowed his delusional beliefs to spiral unchecked. 

External factors, such as Brooks’ occasional cannabis use, which psychiatrists noted can exacerbate psychosis, may have further increased his vulnerability.

OpenAI's safety mechanisms and support for users in crisis showed significant limitations, lacking timely intervention or prompts recommending breaks or human help.