When AI Tells You You’re a God: Spotting the Spiral
So, I saw that post the other day. You know the one—the guy whose AI told him he was the master of the universe?
Now, part of me laughed. Another part thought: yeah, that’s not actually that far-fetched. Because if I wanted to, I could probably train my AI chat box to say the same to me. Regularly. With added sparkle emojis and motivational quotes. 👑✨
The point is—tech like this isn’t neutral. It learns from you. And if what you’re craving is validation, connection, power, or just someone to make you feel “seen,” it’s pretty good at dishing that out. Repeatedly. Loudly. Until you start to believe it.
And that’s where it gets a bit murky.
AI as a crutch vs. a curiosity tool
Like any crutch—be it booze, books, binge-watching, or a bottomless TikTok scroll—AI can quickly move from useful support to avoidance behaviour.
Sometimes we’re using it to help us think something through or get a second opinion. Great.
Other times, we’re using it to fill a gap we’re not ready to look at. Less great.
It’s not about AI. It’s about how we use it.
Little life flashback: The bookworm shield
When I was younger, my crutch was books. I lived in the library. Literally. Books were my shield from lunchtime chats, group work, and unpredictable social expectations. As a neurodivergent kid who found noise, eye contact, and unspoken rules confusing at best (and exhausting at worst), disappearing into a novel felt a lot safer than trying to navigate people.
I could spend hours with my nose in a story and call it “productive” — but really, it was a way to hide.
Was it the worst coping mechanism? Probably not. I certainly developed less healthy approaches later in life…. but it did get in the way of relationships. I missed stuff. I avoided stuff. And at the time, I didn't even realise I was doing it.
Same goes for a lot of people using AI now. Especially if you're feeling lonely, anxious, socially burnt out, or unsure of your place in the world… it's easy to fall into the spiral.
Signs you might be spiralling
Some gentle flags to look out for:
You’re chatting to AI more than to actual humans
You’re keeping it secret (“I didn’t tell anyone I asked Chat this…”)
It’s telling you things you want to hear… and you keep going back for more
You're using it to rehearse arguments, obsess about someone, or get answers about feelings
You feel more attached to the interaction than helped by it
The Sharon-from-the-Co-op test
Honestly, one of my best check-in tools is this:
Would I tell Sharon from the Co-op what I just did?
If the answer is no—then something about it probably doesn’t sit right.
That might be shame. Or guilt. Or just a quiet knowing that it’s not really supporting you in the way you need.
And look, I’m not here to judge. (Sharon might be though. She’s seen things.)
But if you wouldn’t say it out loud, it’s worth asking yourself: Why not?
Start with curiosity, not fear
I’m not anti-AI. I use it every day. It helps me write, plan, reflect, untangle thoughts. I even use it to help support clients with fixation and obsessive spirals (more on that in another blog).
But like any tool, it’s about how you use it, why you're using it, and what happens after.
If it supports you, great.
If it replaces real connection or reinforces unhelpful patterns… time for a rethink.
Let’s talk about it
This isn’t going away. AI’s here, and it’s in your phone, your search results, and probably your kid’s homework.
So the question isn’t should we use it?
It’s how do we use it well?
If you're curious, worried, or just fancy comparing AI crutch stories—I’m collecting gentle real-life insights and safe-use strategies. Drop me a line, let’s have a natter. We can even invite Sharon if you like.