Panic-journalism is out of control. Same as it's ever been. This is one more instance in a long history of moral panics, economic panics, public health panics,

Panic-journalism is out of control. Same as it's ever been. This is one more instance in a long history of moral panics, economic panics, public health panics, media panics, terror panics, crime-wave panics - the list goes on. Panics always follow the same cycle; trigger, attention escalation, peak alarm, trough of doubt, contextualization, and integration. We're at the attention escalation phase of the panic cycle so what we're going to see is a increase of publications that feature personal accounts of ChatGPT Psychosis. As we edge toward peak alarm expect to see mainstream journalists write over-penned essays asking "Why Haven’t Regulators Asked How Many Psychiatric Holds Involve AI?" "Are Families Prepared for Loved Ones Who Trust a Bot More Than Them?" or "Is Democracy Safe When Anyone Can Commune With a Bot That Lacks an Anti-Oppression Framework?" What's the real way to address this? Wait until we have actual statistical evidence. Become comfortable with mild amounts of uncertainty. And look for opportunities to contextualize the phenomenon such that it can ultimately be integrated appropriately into our understanding of the world. Until then, recognize these pieces for what they are and understand how these fit into the upward slope of the panic cycle that unfortunately we have to ride out until cooler minds prevail.