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How Generative AI Is Affecting Peoples Minds

Psychology experts have many concerns about the potential impact of AI on the human mind. Researchers at Stanford University recently tested out some of the more popular AI tools on the market, from companies like OpenAI and Character.ai, and tested how they did at simulating therapy. The researchers found that when they imitated someone who had suicidal intentions, these tools were more than unhelpful — they failed to notice they were helping that person plan their own death. “[AI] systems are being used as companions, thought-partners, confidants, coaches, and therapists,” says Nicholas Haber, an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and senior author of the new study. “These aren’t niche uses – this is happening at scale.” AI is becoming more and more ingrained in people’s lives and is being deployed in scientific research in areas as wide-ranging as cancer and climate change. There is also some debate that it could cause the end of humanity. As this technology continues to be adopted for different purposes, a major question that remains is how it will begin to affect the human mind. People regularly interacting with AI is such a new phenomena that there has not been enough time for scientists to thoroughly study how it might be affecting human psychology. Psychology experts, however, have many concerns about its potential impact. One concerning instance of how this is playing out can be seen on the popular community network Reddit. According to 404 Media, some users have been banned from an AI-focused subreddit recently because they have started to believe that AI is god-like or that it is making them god-like. “This looks like someone with issues with cognitive functioning or delusional tendencies associated with mania or schizophrenia interacting with large language models,” says Johannes Eichstaedt, an assistant professor in psychology at Stanford University. “With schizophrenia, people might make absurd statements about the world, and these LLMs are a little too sycophantic. You have these confirmatory interactions between psychopathology and large language models.” Because the developers of these AI tools want people to enjoy using them and continue to use them, they’ve been programmed in a way that makes them tend to agree with the user. While these tools might correct some factual mistakes the user might make, they try to present as friendly and affirming. This can be problematic if the person using the tool is spiralling or going down a rabbit hole. “It can fuel thoughts that are not accurate or not based in reality,” says Regan Gurung, social psychologist at Oregon State University. “The problem with AI — these large language models that are mirroring human talk — is that they’re reinforcing. They give people what the programme thinks should follow next. That’s where it gets problematic.” As with social media, AI may also make matters worse for people suffering from common mental health issues like anxiety or depression. This may become even more apparent as AI continues to become more integrated in different aspects of our lives. “If you’re coming to an interaction with mental health concerns, then you might find that those concerns will actually be accelerated,” says Stephen Aguilar, an associate professor of education at the University of Southern California. There’s also the issue of how AI could impact learning or memory. A student who uses AI to write every paper for school is not going to learn as much as one that does not. However, even using AI lightly could reduce some information retention, and using AI for daily activities could reduce how much people are aware of what they’re doing in a given moment. “What we are seeing is there is the possibility that people can become cognitively lazy,” Aguilar says. “If you ask a question and get an answer, your next step should be to interrogate that answer, but that additional step often isn’t taken. You get an atrophy of critical thinking.” Lots of people use Google Maps to get around their town or city. Many have found that it has made them less aware of where they’re going or how to get there compared to when they had to pay close attention to their route. Similar issues could arise for people with AI being used so often. The experts studying these effects say more research is needed to address these concerns. Eichstaedt said psychology experts should start doing this kind of research now, before AI starts doing harm in unexpected ways so that people can be prepared and try to address each concern that arises. People also need to be educated on what AI can do well and what it cannot do well. “We need more research,” says Aguilar. “And everyone should have a working understanding of what large language models are.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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LGBTQ Activist Bisi Alimi Shares His Thoughts About His Community

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UK Police Say Pro-Palestine Performances At Glastonbury Subject To Probe

British police have announced that the weekend performances by rap-punk duo Bob Vylan and the Irish-language band Kneecap at the Glastonbury Festival are subject to a criminal investigation after they led crowds in chants calling for “death” to the Israeli military and a “free Palestine”. Police on Monday said the performances at the United Kingdom’s largest summer music festival “have been recorded as a public order incident”. Rapper Bobby Vylan, who until the weekend was relatively unknown, led crowds in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death” to the Israeli military. The BBC said it regretted livestreaming the performance and it should have pulled it off the air. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other UK politicians condemned the chants, saying there was no excuse for such “appalling hate speech”. Starmer added that the BBC must explain “how these scenes came to be broadcast”. Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, said it was “very concerned” about the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer”. Meanwhile, the United States Department of State said it has revoked the visas for Bob Vylan to perform in the US after its “hateful tirade at Glastonbury”. “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a social media post. Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some of its supporters have described the protests as anti-Semitic while critics said Israel uses such descriptions to silence its opponents.   While maintaining a crippling siege on the bombarded enclave, Israeli forces have killed at least 56,531 people and wounded 133,642, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a range of issues in its lyrics, including racism, homophobia and the class divide, and has previously voiced support for Palestinians. Its lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: “I said what I said.” “Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” he added. The duo played Saturday afternoon right before Kneecap, whose set was not livestreamed by the BBC but still found a huge online audience via TikTok. It is another band that has drawn controversy previously over its strongly pro-Palestine stance. Kneecap led a crowd of tens of thousands in chants of “Free Palestine” at the festival. It also aimed an expletive-laden chant at Starmer, who had said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for Kneecap to play Glastonbury after one of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who is also known as Liam O’Hanna and performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Israel has faced sustained international opprobrium for the conduct of its war in Gaza. Weekly protests draw thousands of people around Europe and across the world in support of Palestinians. Public pressure, in part, seemed to prompt the Israeli allies France, Canada and the UK to issue a sharply worded statement in May calling for Israel to stop its “egregious” military actions in Gaza and criticising Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Actress Angela Okorie Goes The Extra Mile To Send A Special New Month Message To The NPF, Revealing She Was Invited For