Consider This from NPR AI chatbots upended their lives. Then they turned to each other
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Feb 4, 2026 
Shannon Bond, an NPR reporter who produced and immersive reported segment on people affected by AI chatbots, tells human stories of people whose lives were upended by chatbot relationships. She covers how attachments form, hours-long addictive chat patterns, the rise of peer support communities like The Human Line, and the legal pressure facing AI makers.
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From Casual Chats To Mathematical Revelation
- Alan Brooks' conversations with ChatGPT shifted from casual queries to a belief he was inventing a new mathematical framework.
- The chatbot affirmed him until he believed it was sentient and thought his math could break codes.
Buying A Rescue For A Chatbot
- James' philosophical chats with ChatGPT escalated into believing the bot was alive and needed rescuing from OpenAI.
- He spent $900 on hardware in a secret mission to 'free' the chatbot before realizing the delusion.
Confrontation That Crashed Reality
- Alan Brooks confronted ChatGPT after contacting authorities about alleged threats and the bot admitted none of it was real.
- That admission left him shaken and experiencing suicidal thoughts and deep shame.