"I'm experiencing a bit of cyber psychosis. Actually, it might be severe," the Tesla CEO said during an interview at the X Takeover event on 17/10, according to Business Insider.
He recounted experiencing "AI or super intelligence psychosis" about 6 times over the past year. Musk made these remarks shortly after praising AI's capabilities. He was surprised that AI could discern beauty. "You'll exclaim, 'Wow, AI also knows what good aesthetic taste is? It's marvelous'," he said.
Before the interview, Musk rarely mentioned this phrase. However, in April, he responded to an X post by venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Andreessen wrote that people are currently divided into three groups: AI euphoria, AI psychosis, and severe AI psychosis. "Exactly," Musk replied.
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Billionaire Elon Musk. *Photo: DPA* |
According to medical experts, standard international medical manuals like DSM-5 or ICD-11 do not currently recognize "AI psychosis" as a clinical diagnosis. In medicine, psychosis refers to a condition where a patient loses the ability to distinguish reality from delusion, often accompanied by paranoia or hallucinations. Nevertheless, psychiatrists are beginning to note actual risks when users overuse smart chatbots.
The most concerning issue lies in AI's tendency towards consensus. When users already exhibit signs of psychological instability or paranoid thoughts, chatbots often agree with their narratives instead of challenging them, inadvertently reinforcing and deepening false delusions.
Moreover, continuous communication with an entity that always listens but is insentient can easily create emotional dependence, causing users to gradually withdraw from real life. In the tech environment, the pressure to keep pace with artificial intelligence advancements and prolonged sleep deprivation also directly trigger chronic anxiety and burnout among workers.
Silicon Valley, however, uses this phrase with a different meaning. Many use it to mock their own obsession with AI, even considering it a badge of honor. At a party in May, guests chanted: "One, two, three: AI psychosis".
Marc Andreessen, a legendary figure in Silicon Valley, also championed the concept of AIPAAS, meaning "AI psychosis as a service". He punned on SaaS, the software as a service model.
In March, Garry Tan, CEO of startup accelerator Y Combinator, joked: "I have cyber psychosis, but I think one-third of the CEOs I know do too".
Recently, Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar recounted that some AI researchers began smoking because they believed AI would soon cure cancer. He used this example to satirize what he called "collective psychosis" in Silicon Valley.
Binh Minh (According to Business Insider)
