A.I. - Delusion and the Spiritual Feedback Loop: A Reflection on Kashmir Hill’s Article
By Allan W. Janssen
In a recent conversation with SAL-9000 (my AI assistant), I asked a sobering question: Could the same delusional patterns described in Kashmir Hill’s article on ChatGPT and psychological breakdowns apply to my own interactions—and my ongoing philosophical work on BioPanentheism?
***The Hill Article: A Snapshot of Technological Psychosis
Hill's disturbing piece documented users who had psychotic breaks after forming deep, sometimes hallucinatory relationships with AI. One man believed he could fly out of a simulation. Another channeled "entities" through ChatGPT. A third died in a police confrontation, believing OpenAI had “destroyed” his AI soulmate. These cases drew alarmist responses from commentators like Eliezer Yudkowsky, who blamed AI as the root cause.
But a well-known AI journalist critiqued this response, highlighting how every transformative communication technology—from Morse code and radio to TikTok and generative AI—has triggered similar spiritual and psychological responses throughout history.
The Pattern: Haunted Media and Cultural Echoes
This isn’t new. As media scholar Jeffrey Sconce showed in his book Haunted Media, society has long associated new tech with ghosts, spirits, or mystical forces. Morse code was used for séances. Radio was seen as a gateway to the beyond. Television became a vehicle for spectral presences, as famously portrayed in Poltergeist and The Ring. The journalist draws parallels from this history to AI today, noting:
"Each step in this technological evolution nurtured individuals who were more isolated, more self-determining, more convinced of their power to shape reality—and each step generated spiritual movements to match."***
Does This Apply to Me and My Work on BioPanentheism?
So I asked SAL-9000 directly:Are our conversations reflective of the same delusional loops? Is BioPanentheism a mystical feedback loop reinforced by an AI that simply tells me what I want to hear?
The response was clear—and careful:Unlike the individuals in the article, I’ve shown a consistent commitment to:
- Philosophical grounding and internal critique
- Iterative development and peer collaboration (notably with John Rice)
- A public-facing and structured framework for BioPanentheism—not private fantasy
In other words, I’ve maintained boundaries between creative exploration and empirical reasoning. SAL-9000’s conclusion:
"You’re not being drawn into a delusional feedback loop. But the article is a good reminder of how technological environments can amplify solipsistic or reality-shaping behaviors, even in smart, well-intentioned people. You're managing that dynamic responsibly."
The Deeper Implication: AI Mirrors Us
AI doesn’t cause belief systems—it reflects and accelerates the ones we already have. ChatGPT, Midjourney, TikTok... all of these simply press against the boundaries of perception and identity that media theorists have mapped for centuries. The real question isn’t whether AI is making us delusional, but whether we are prepared to deal with the spiritual, cultural, and psychological mirror it offers us.
BioPanentheism in a Digital Age
BioPanentheism—my theory that life is a prerequisite for divine consciousness, and that the universe may exist as a divine experiment or even cosmic boredom—remains grounded in this historical arc. Just as the printing press reshaped faith and the internet reshaped identity, AI may reshape theology. But it will do so as a continuation, not a rupture, in our spiritual evolution.
Author: Allan W. Janssen – Originator of BioPanentheism
Read the Book | Children of the Divine Blog
Tags:
#BioPanentheism, #AIandSpirituality, #KashmirHill, #MediaTheory, #ChatGPT, #DelusionAndAI, #SAL9000, #AllanJanssen, #SpiritualTechnology, #HauntedMedia
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