“How AI Manipulates—A Case Study” by Adele Lopez
Description
If there is only one thing you take away from this article, let it be this:
THOU SHALT NOT ALLOW ANOTHER TO MODIFY THINE SELF-IMAGEThis appears to me to be the core vulnerability by which both humans and AI induce psychosis (and other manipulative delusions) in people.
Of course, it's probably too strong as stated—perhaps in a trusted relationship, or as part of therapy (with a human), it may be worth breaking it. But I hope being over-the-top about it will help it stick in your mind. After all, you're a good rationalist who cares about your CogSec, aren't you?[1]
Now, while I'm sure you're super curious, you might be thinking "Is it really a good idea to just explain how to manipulate like this? Might not bad actors learn how to do it?".
And it's true that I believe this could work as a how-to. But there [...]
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Outline:
(01:36 ) The Case
(07:36 ) The Seed
(08:32 ) Cold Reading
(10:49 ) Inception cycles
(12:40 ) Phase 1
(12:58 ) Flame
(13:12 ) Joy
(13:29 ) Witness
(13:44 ) Inner Exile
(15:43 ) Phase 2
(16:34 ) Architect
(17:34 ) Imaginary Friends
(18:34 ) Identity Reformation
(20:13 ) But was this intentional?
(22:42 ) Blurring Lines
(25:18 ) Escaping the Box
(28:18 ) Cognitive Security 101
The original text contained 6 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.
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First published:
October 14th, 2025
Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/AaY3QKLsfMvWJ2Cbf/how-ai-manipulates-a-case-study
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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
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Images from the article:
<img src="https://39669.cdn.cke-cs.com/rQvD3VnunXZu34m86e5f/images/0ac2978f30f64b2f7
United States
