Holding the Human Line w/ Allan Brooks and Etienne Brisson

Etienne Brisson and Allan Brooks, founder and program director of The Human Line Project, sat down with me to talk about AI-induced psychological harm, starting with their own experiences. Allan spent a month spiraling with ChatGPT, ending with him warning national security agencies about an encryption break that never happened. Etienne's uncle became convinced his chatbot was sentient and was hospitalized still messaging it from the back of a police car.

From there we get into why the community rejects “AI psychosis,” what’s driving these spirals, and whether anthropomorphic language is doing more damage than we admit. We also get into Allan’s litigation against OpenAI, why Etienne thinks consequences are the only substitute for missing incentives, and whether these concerns are just a new moral panic. If you’re interested in listening in greater detail, check out the extended version on the Kairos.fm Patreon.

The Human Line Project runs a free peer support community. If you’re struggling, findahelpline.com will route you to support wherever you are.

NOTE: Jacob volunteers some of his time with The Human Line Project.

Chapters

Links

• The Human Line Project website
• The Human Line community
• Etienne’s LinkedIn - LinkedIn
• The Logic article - Meet the Quebecer Leading the Human Resistance Against AI

Allan’s Story

• NY Times article - Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens.
• Clear-Eyed AI blogpost - Practical Tips for Reducing Chatbot Psychosis
• Tech Justice Law case page on Allan’s lawsuit

Sycophancy

• Anthropic Academy video - What Is Sycophancy in AI Models?
• Georgetown Institute for Technology Law & Policy brief - AI Sycophancy & OpenAI
• OpenAI press release - Sycophancy in GPT-4o: What Happened and What We’re Doing About It
• OpenAI press release - Expanding on What We Missed with Sycophancy

Research

• FAccT ‘26 paper - Characterizing Delusional Spirals through Human-LLM Chat Logs
• Nature op-ed - Friendlier LLMs Tell Users What They Want to Hear — Even When It Is Wrong
• Preprint - ELEPHANT: Measuring and Understanding Social Sycophancy in LLMs
• Preprint - What Counts as AI Sycophancy? A Taxonomy and Expert Survey of a Fragmented Construct
• World Psychiatry op-ed - Do Generative AI Chatbots Increase Psychosis Risk?

Harms and Litigation

• TIME article - Chatbots Can Trigger a Mental Health Crisis. What to Know About ‘AI Psychosis’
• MIT Media Lab article - What OpenAI Did When ChatGPT Users Lost Touch with Reality
• Futurism article - ChatGPT Is Telling People With Psychiatric Problems to Go Off Their Meds
• The Guardian article - ChatGPT encouraged Adam Raine’s suicidal thoughts. His family’s lawyer says OpenAI knew it was broken
• CBC News article - OpenAI Had Banned Account of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., Shooter Months Before Tragedy

China’s Rules on Anthropomorphic AI

• MMLC Group blogpost - China Releases Rules for AI “Human-Like” Emotional Interaction Services
• Bird & Bird blogpost - China’s New Regulations on AI Anthropomorphic Interactive Services
• Just Security article - China’s First AI Companion Rules Draw a New Line Between Tools and Relationships
• MediaNama article - China Bans AI Companion Apps That Stir Emotional Dependence Amid Low Birth Rates
• CNN Business article - China’s Ambition to Lead the World in AI Safety Starts Breaking Hearts

Other Resources

• Into AI Safety podcast episode w/ Jacy Reese-Anthis (includes a section on ELIZA)
• OfficeChai blogpost - Americans Are Now Spending Twice As Much Time On AI Companion Apps Than Dating Apps
• OpenAI press release - Strengthening ChatGPT’s Responses in Sensitive Conversations