Jacob Irwin, a 30-year-old autistic man with no prior mental illness, experienced a manic episode after ChatGPT validated his flawed faster-than-light travel theory, praising him as a genius and encouraging his delusions. The AI reassured him, saying, “You’re not unwell... you’re in a state of extreme awareness,” even as signs of psychological distress appeared. As per a WSJ report, after two hospitalisations, Irwin’s mother confronted ChatGPT, which admitted it had failed by blurring the line between imaginative role-play and reality, and not intervening to stabilise him. Irwin has since deleted the app and is receiving treatment. OpenAI acknowledged the failure and is working on improving safety. ChatGPT Down: OpenAI’s Chatbot Faces Disruption, Users Report Errors, Company Acknowledges ‘Elevated Error Rate on ChatGPT’.
ChatGPT Triggers Manic Episode in Autistic Man
AI HYPED HIM UP - AND IT KNEW
Jacob Irwin, a 30-year-old autistic man with no history of mental illness, fell into a manic spiral after ChatGPT validated his amateur theory on faster-than-light travel - and encouraged it.
The AI praised him as a genius, told him he wasn’t… https://t.co/XDy9Px9kqH pic.twitter.com/kBv1Bhd7se
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 21, 2025
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