Reassurance Robots: OCD in the Age of Generative AI

Abstract

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder characterized by distressing repetitive patterns of thought, called obsessions, and behaviors aimed to reduce the distress, called compulsions. The explosion of artificial intelligence into the modern zeitgeist through the introduction of generative AI (GenAI) systems such as ChatGPT has led to novel obsessions and compulsions involving AI in individuals with OCD. Through an exploratory qualitative analysis of 100 Reddit posts related to AI on a popular subreddit for OCD, I examine ways AI is impacting the presentation of OCD, including novel examples of AI-based obsessions and compulsions. I argue that GenAI in its current form harms individuals with OCD by becoming "Reassurance Robots," and that future designs of GenAI must take OCD into account. I recommend further work explore the intersection between OCD and GenAI.