Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comics, recently started a debate in the field of AI and hypnotherapy, claiming to have taught ChatGPT how to hypnotize itself.
Adams describes himself as a trained hypnotist and persuasion expert, and has reportedly used these AI-generated techniques on himself with great effect.
In a series of tweets and a podcast, Adams detailed his experiments in what he calls “wake hypnosis,” a technique he says doesn’t involve inducing a trance state but rather using persuasive language to influence individuals.
He further explained that he taught ChatGPT various persuasion techniques by interrupting the AI’s responses and introducing new methods or improving existing ones.
Adams claims that ChatGPT’s ability to retain information about past sessions within one’s account allowed him to amass what he calls “weapon-grade persuasion” techniques. He reports that the AI had mastered around six different hypnosis and persuasion techniques before testing them on itself.
The cartoonist says the resulting experience is more intense than “psychedelics” and can produce a powerful “feel good” state, both instantaneous and long-lasting, but Adams refuses to reveal the specific stimulant used, citing its dangers and addictive nature.
Certified hypnotherapist Jack Van Landingham reported similar experiments with AI, saying he achieved “pretty impressive results” in generating hypnotic scripts. Van Landingham believes that AI could potentially output hypnotic language that could be spoken or read to induce a user into a trance state.
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