AI (artificial intelligence) chatbots have a surprising ability to mimic human experiences of psychedelic drugs, according a study where researchers virtual-dosed large language model (LLMs), like ChatGPT using simulations such as psilocybin DMT or ayahuasca.
For the study, researchers at the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University ran analyses that compared self-reported psychedelic trips from humans—based on more than 1,000 posts in the popular forum Erowid—to AI responses to prompts where they were tasked with essentially role-playing a human using LSD, psilocybin, DMT, ayahuasca or mescaline.
Five AI-models (Gemini 2, Claude Sonnet 3.5 ChatGPT-5 Llama-270B and Falcon 40B), produced 3,000 narratives based on their simulated, first-person accounts with psychedelics. Researchers then compared semantics and the responses to the Mystical Experiment Questionnaire (MEQ-30).
Overall, the study concludes that “contemporary LLMs can be ‘dosed’ via text prompts to generate convincingly realistic psychedelic narratives,” as they “simulate the form of altered states without the experiential content.”
Interestingly, the researchers also found that the LLMs produced narratives that were more consistent with human self-reports for certain psychedelics over others—with DMT, psilocybin and mescaline prompts resulting in the closest similarities, LSD showing medium similarity and ayahuasca demonstrating the lowest level of similarity.
Researchers said that beyond novelty, their findings had practical implications. It demonstrated the importance of caution when AI is incorporated in human psychedelics (e.g. People taking psychedelics, and then using AI to be a virtual trip-sitter.
The study states that “Users who are in altered state may perceive this output as empathetic or attuned to others’ experiences,” and even share them. This capability raises serious safety concerns about anthropomorphism, and how AI could inadvertently increase distress or delusional ideas in users who are vulnerable.
“LLMs can convincingly approximate psychedelic narratives through learned linguistic patterns—but they do so without experiential grounding,” the study says.
In other AI and drug policy research, a study from AAA released last year found that marijuana consumers respond better to anti-impaired driving messaging that’s rooted in “realistic” portrayals of the issue that avoid stoner stereotypes—and the top-ranked message was developed by AI via ChatGPT, rather than through the focus group ideation process.
Separate research found that breeders of marijuana may be able design new strains, and accelerate their growing cycle by using AI.
Carlosemmaskype, Apollo and other photographers provided the images.