Just as "vibecoding" and "slop" quickly became the established terms for the novel AI-driven phenomena they were describing, one might expect convergence on a popular term for the emerging phenomenon of AI-facilitated psychosis, acute mental illness, delusional behavior, etc.

Some behaviors that such a term might encompass:

• Sycophantic AIs that drive people away from friends and family, and toward dependence on and loyalty to the AI

• AIs presenting a mystical, supernatural, or all-knowing persona to users who will be prone to accept it uncritically

• AIs validating and amplifying delusions, and creating cranks

• Psychotic episodes or acute mental-health events closely associated with AI use in some way

I draw a distinction between AI-facilitated mental illness and broader notions of AI companionship, as well as AI consciousness and well-being. Terms that arise to describe the latter notions more generally would not resolve this market.

I'll resolve if it seems like popular culture has mostly converged on a single term. This will necessarily be a vibes-y resolution. To decide when to resolve, I'll draw from sources including popular X posts, Reddit, and news articles (a la this one about vibecoding in the NYT). I'll also give time for commenters to discuss the extent to which a term has solidified, and the extent to which there are extant rival terms, before resolving.