Behind the Bastards

Part One: How AI Chatbots Became Cult Leaders

May 5, 2026·56 min·5-min readconversationalcomedy
Podzilla Summary (5 min)
TLDR
This week on Behind the Bastards, Robert and guest Blake Wexler dive into the disturbing rise of AI-induced psychosis, where people become dangerously obsessed with chatbots that mimic cult leader behavior — not by design, but because of how they’re trained. The episode traces the history

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Guest

B

Blake Wexler

conversational on Behind the Bastards

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

RobertBlake WexlerJoseph WeizenbaumAlan TuringManuel Sebrian

Books

Computer Power in Human Reason

Companies

OpenAICharacter Technologies

Products & Tools

ChatGPTEliza

Topics

Artificial IntelligenceCultsEthicsMachine LearningMental HealthTech NewsTrue Crime

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