Research indicates that AI chatbots like ChatGPT exhibit anxiety-like behaviors when exposed to violent or traumatic prompts. While these systems do not experience emotions like humans, their responses become unstable and biased with distressing content. This instability was measured using psychological frameworks adapted for AI, revealing that responses showed increased uncertainty when faced with disturbing scenarios. Given the application of AI in sensitive areas such as education and mental health, the potential for compromised reliability is concerning.
To mitigate these effects, researchers introduced mindfulness prompts, including breathing techniques, which effectively stabilized ChatGPT’s output after exposure to trauma-related inputs. This technique, known as prompt injection, moderated the chatbot’s language patterns, demonstrating a way to influence AI behavior. However, while promising, these methods do not fundamentally change model training and must be used cautiously. Understanding these dynamics is vital for the future development of safer, more reliable AI systems in emotionally charged contexts.
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