& 6 By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries and Kashmir Hill Jan. 26,2026 Updated 4:42 p.m. ET Julia Sheffield, a psychologist who specializes in treating people with delusions, is difficult to rattle. But she was unnerved last summer when patients began telling her about their conversations with A.L chatbots. One woman, who had no history of mental illness, asked ChatGPT for advice on a major purchase she had been fretting about. After days of the bot validating her worries, she became convinced that businesses were colluding to have her investigated by the government. Another patient came to believe that a romantic crush was sending her secret spiritual messages. Yet another thought he had stumbled onto a world-changing invention.

The New York Times How Bad Are A. Delusions? We Asked People Treating Them. Dozens of doctors and therapists said chatbots had led their patients to psychosis, isolation and unhealthy habits.