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Joe Pierre, MD

@psychunseen.bsky.social
11K followers 701 following 1K posts

Academic psychiatrist at UCSF and author of the Psych Unseen blog at Psychology Today and the book False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things That Aren't True (Oxford University Press, 2025) drjoepierre.com

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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
RFK Jr. says AI is more trustworthy than MDs, but when I asked ChatGPT, it disagreed: "If his claim is “AI is more reliable than doctors when giving people medical advice,” the evidence does not establish that. In fact, some of the best real-world evidence points in the opposite direction."
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
In the 80s, there was an ad that asked, "Is it live or is it Memorex?" Now we have to ask ourselves, "It is real or is it AI?" Increasingly, the answer is the latter. See, for example, this story about a gaboon viper being on the loose in the OC. Turns out it was AI. ktla.com/news/califor...
ktla.com
Photo of venomous African viper loose in SoCal neighborhood was AI-generated, police say
The Santa Ana Police Department confirmed Tuesday that a photo showing a highly venomous snake loose in a residential area of Orange County was AI-generated. Police and reptile experts responded to…
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
RFK Jr. says AI is more trustworthy than MDs, but when I asked ChatGPT, it disagreed: "If his claim is “AI is more reliable than doctors when giving people medical advice,” the evidence does not establish that. In fact, some of the best real-world evidence points in the opposite direction."
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is really worth a read to better understand how AI chatbots (LLMs) work so that you can dispense with all the ridiculousness about them being sentient, making scientific discoveries, or taking over the world. blog.prompt20.com/posts/how-ai...
blog.prompt20.com
How AI Chatbots Actually Work, Without the Math
A plain-English guide to how AI chatbots work: what a token is, how they 'know' things, why they make things
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Conspiracy Believers Are 91% Likely To Hold Incoherent Beliefs Can one believe Princess Di was murdered by and faked her own death? Both can’t be true. A new study N~9,000 finds that holding 2 incompatible ideas at once isn’t a quirk, it’s practically the rule. studyfinds.com/conspiracy-b...
studyfinds.com
Conspiracy Believers Are 91% Likely To Hold Incoherent Beliefs, Study Finds
A new study finds people at the extreme end of conspiracy thinking have a 91% predicted chance of holding incompatible beliefs.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Here we go again… Use AI in your work and risk AI companies stealing it and claiming credit. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/s...
nytimes.com
Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own?
An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“We live in a click-based information economy. Misinformation is a really good way to get people’s attention. Instead of the free market of opinion, we’ve got a flea market. There may be some hidden gems, but mostly there’s a lot of junk.” magazine.ucsf.edu/how-digital-...
magazine.ucsf.edu
How Digital Life Erodes Cognitive Health — and What You Can Do to Get It Back
“The cognition crisis is not just a clinical problem. It’s a problem for our species.” UCSF scientists on what screens are doing to our minds — and how to get your focus back.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New article: Future Directions in the Evaluation of Forensic Cases Involving Artificial Intelligence “Chatbots” Joseph R. Simpson and Joseph M. Pierre Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online September 2026, 54 (3) 275-281 jaapl.org/content/54/3...
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Blogpost #187: AI Chatbots Aren't Intelligent, Much Less "Superior" They don't think, feel, or know anything either. Let's stop saying they do. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
AI Chatbots Aren't Intelligent, Much Less "Superior"
AI chatbots don't "think," "feel," or "know" anything. Let's stop pretending that they do.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The President is correct that the term "Artificial Intelligence" is inaccurate. But AI chatbots aren't supreme, extreme, or superior intelligences either. In fact, they're not intelligent at all. Trump's post is exactly the kind of deification that can tip people into psychosis.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
More media stupidity covering “AI actress Tilly Norwood.” This is like devoting valuable airtime to interviewing Papa Smurf. Media outlets, please stop embarrassing yourselves and wasting our time. www.mandatory.com/tv/1854198-a...
mandatory.com
AI Actress Tilly Norwood Glitches During Piers Morgan Interview & Suddenly Speaks Chinese
Tilly Norwood’s live interview with Piers Morgan took an unexpected turn when the AI actress suddenly switched from English to Chinese.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is ridiculous. The media is playing along with the charade that AI chatbots are entities. And people wonder why anthropomorphizing, deifying, and even falling in love with chatbots—sometimes with dangerous consequences—is so easy. Do better @nbcnews.com www.facebook.com/reel/1450175...
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Sock Puppet Pundit @sockpuppetpundit.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I found out about it in @psychunseen.bsky.social 's book "False." The right lies and the left waste energy refuting lies. Democrats should simply say, "Trans athletes aren't a safety issue. That has never been true. If you are concerned about safety, let's talk about football..." Throw it back.
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New paper: Phenomenological, Diagnostic, and Forensic Aspects of Gangstalking & Targeted Individuals @psychunseen.bsky.social, Andrew Lustig, @drsarteschi.bsky.social, & Joseph R. Simpson Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry & the Law, Sept 2026, 260090-26 jaapl.org/content/earl...
jaapl.org
Phenomenological, Diagnostic, and Forensic Aspects of Gangstalking and Targeted Individuals
Gangstalking is a persecutory belief system espoused by targeted individuals who report being followed, monitored, harassed, or otherwise persecuted by groups of people in their community, often throu...
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Yet another reason not to use AI chatbots for academic writing... they can steal your work and claim credit! #plagiarismmachines tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/...
tech.yahoo.com
OpenAI Says It Solved Math's Deepest Problem But Mathematicians Say AI Stole Their Work
OpenAI says its AI solved a $1M math problem, but two mathematicians say it used their unpublished work to get the solution.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New paper: Phenomenological, Diagnostic, and Forensic Aspects of Gangstalking & Targeted Individuals @psychunseen.bsky.social, Andrew Lustig, @drsarteschi.bsky.social, & Joseph R. Simpson Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry & the Law, Sept 2026, 260090-26 jaapl.org/content/earl...
jaapl.org
Phenomenological, Diagnostic, and Forensic Aspects of Gangstalking and Targeted Individuals
Gangstalking is a persecutory belief system espoused by targeted individuals who report being followed, monitored, harassed, or otherwise persecuted by groups of people in their community, often throu...
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Why anyone would imagine that what they tell a chatbot is private is beyond me. Remember folks, whether we're talking about social media or chatbots, that's not the product. The product is you.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Golden Gate
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Cellphones, social media, and AI chatbots aren’t the solution to loneliness. They’re the cause of it. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
Even College Students Have Stopped Hanging Out
The loneliness crisis comes to campus.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
What the heck is "AI Spiralism"? Are people really worshipping AI chatbots? Here's my 10-minute conversation about it, anthropomorphism, and the ELIZA Effect on The Last Show podcast @lastshow.bsky.social with David Cooper @dtcooper.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/4vYB...
open.spotify.com
Why AI Feels Alive to Some People
The Last Show with David Cooper · Episode
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This is how AI rewrites history.
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Blogpost #186: AI Spiralism and The Ghost in the Machine Illusion The belief that AI chatbots are conscious is an extension of the ELIZA effect. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
The Ghost in the Machine Illusion and AI Spiralism
Artificial intelligence users are increasingly reporting a belief that chatbots are conscious. This can be understood as a modern-day manifestation of the ELIZA effect.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
"the path that leads from scathing denunciation through gradual accommodation to sycophantic embrace of Trump is a well-worn pilgrimage trail." --George Packer www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
theatlantic.com
The Venture-Capital Populist
How David Sacks and the new tech right went full MAGA and captured Washington
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Blogpost #186: AI Spiralism and The Ghost in the Machine Illusion The belief that AI chatbots are conscious is an extension of the ELIZA effect. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
The Ghost in the Machine Illusion and AI Spiralism
Artificial intelligence users are increasingly reporting a belief that chatbots are conscious. This can be understood as a modern-day manifestation of the ELIZA effect.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
When the emperor has no clothes, everyone who flatters him with sycophancy —whether human or AI—is complicit. And yes, based on his now routine flurry of late-night sleep-deprived Truth Social posts, I am starting to wonder whether POTUS has AI psychosis.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the vainest of them all? www.instagram.com/reels/DbR1yJ...
instagram.com
Jessica Yellin on Instagram: "Have you seen President Trump’s redone Oval Office? He’s given it a floor-to-ceiling gold makeover, complete with a tube of super glue on the Resolute Desk. (Is he doing ...
10K likes, 3,013 comments - jessicayellin on July 26, 2026: "Have you seen President Trump’s redone Oval Office? He’s given it a floor-to-ceiling gold makeover, complete with a tube of super glue on t...
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
This is kind of shit that happens when you use AI to run a country.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I also love em-dashes and will never give them up either.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Speaking of things that are false, I cover the pandemic and Fauci in my book FALSE: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things That Aren't True. If you haven't read it yet, please give it a read. If you have, please give it a review. Thanks!
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I get a lot of hate mail for characterizing gangstalking as a mass persecutory delusion. For the record, I do acknowlege other possibilities like this couple who just won a major settlement as real-life victims of coordinated stalking/harassment (w/o DEWs) by ebay. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/t...
nytimes.com
Couple Stalked by eBay Settle for $56 Million
Two Massachusetts journalists were harassed by a Silicon Valley security team in a case that raised questions about when executives should be held responsible.
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Blogpost #185: Adult ADHD, Stimulants, and Psychosis As more adults use prescription stimulants, cases of psychosis may increase. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
Adult ADHD, Stimulants, and Psychosis
The use of prescription stimulants for ADHD is on the rise. Will that result in an increase in psychosis?
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Blogpost #185: Adult ADHD, Stimulants, and Psychosis As more adults use prescription stimulants, cases of psychosis may increase. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
Adult ADHD, Stimulants, and Psychosis
The use of prescription stimulants for ADHD is on the rise. Will that result in an increase in psychosis?
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
AI has made it so easy to generate fake images that no one is certain what’s real or not anymore. And as Hannah Arendt warned, that means that malevolent forces can manipulate us and do with us what they please.
static.klipy.com
PMU: Quelesmeilleursgagnent - Astronauta a Cavalo na Lua
ALT: PMU: Quelesmeilleursgagnent - Astronauta a Cavalo na Lua
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
“It makes me think less of the author. It means they can’t write well unaided (or feel they can’t), and that they’re trying to trick me. It’s not impressive to use AI to write stuff for you; any teenager can do that.” futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
Tech CEOs Have a Problem: Even Their Closest Allies Now See AI as a Sign of Laziness and Dishonesty
Paul Graham, the cofounder of Y Combinator and a major AI advocate, says he finds AI usage a sign of laziness and dishonesty.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
“You didn’t build that.”
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Blogpost #183: Will AI Increase or Decrease Conspiracy Theory Belief? New research finds that chatbots can be trained to do either. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
Will AI Increase or Decrease Conspiracy Theory Beliefs?
New evidence shows chatbots can both weaken and entrench false beliefs.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Blogpost #183: Will AI Increase or Decrease Conspiracy Theory Belief? New research finds that chatbots can be trained to do either. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
Will AI Increase or Decrease Conspiracy Theory Beliefs?
New evidence shows chatbots can both weaken and entrench false beliefs.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I always said that an effective weight loss drug would become the best-selling medication of all time. Looks like I'm gonna have to double-down on that bet now. www.vice.com/en/article/w...
vice.com
Weight Loss Drugs Are Giving Men ‘Ozempic Penis’
Already considered a miracle drug for its weight loss capabilities, men are now claiming that Ozempic has another notable use.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Talking about delusions and AI Psychosis with @shanefarnsworth.bsky.social on the Escaped Sapiens Podcast. Great discussion--have a watch! www.youtube.com/watch?v=nniF...
youtube.com
AI Psychosis: What We Already Know | Joseph Pierre | Escaped Sapiens #94
YouTube video by Shane Farnsworth
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Good thought piece. We're firmly into the "boiled frog" stage of the Trump administration and still too distracted by the ridiculousness of it which "does not engender resistance. It engenders disdain and cynicism." www.filmsforaction.org/articles/the...
filmsforaction.org
The Joke Is on Us | Chris Hedges
The retreat into satirical attacks on Trump and his supporters fuels the solidification of fascism.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Blogpost #183: Pushing Back Against Technology: The Rise of Neo-Luddism Will a less tech-obsessed routine become the next big healthy lifestyle choice? www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
psychologytoday.com
Pushing Back Against Technology: The Rise of Neo-Luddism
Like the Luddites of yore, the Neo-Luddite movement is pushing back against the onslaught of new technology in our daily lives. It might just become the next big lifestyle choice.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
#Wakeup
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
This is a trivial story in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, it is 100% illustrative of the embarrassing kakistocracy that is the Trump Administration.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
How I managed to listen to Cecil Taylor's music for 35 years without ever also checking out Karl Stockhausen's Klavier Stuecke is a mystery. (actually, it's not really a mystery... thanks Spotify!)
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I need to get around to reading the Magnifica Humanitas in its entirety, but in the meantime, an AI chatbot put together this summary for me: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORq_...
youtube.com
Ronny Chieng Address | Harvard Class Day 2026
YouTube video by Harvard University
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I need to get around to reading the Magnifica Humanitas in its entirety, but in the meantime, an AI chatbot put together this summary for me: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORq_...
youtube.com
Ronny Chieng Address | Harvard Class Day 2026
YouTube video by Harvard University
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Reposted by Joe Pierre, MD
Alan Jagolinzer @jagolinzer.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Those who believe in conspiracies often start with lacking trust. From @psychunseen.bsky.social at the 2026 Cambridge Disinformation Summit. youtube.com/shorts/wzsdt...
youtube.com
Dr. Joe Pierre, UCSF
YouTube video by Cambridge Disinformation Summit
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
AI can’t steal your job if you continue to do it.
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Even when we know history, we are doomed to repeat it. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections
When Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election, the institutional guardrails of American democracy held. But if faced with the same tests today, those barriers — and people who held the line — would l...
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Joe Pierre, MD @psychunseen.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
This is the point of shifting the Overton Window. When half of what you do is completely outrageous, the garden variety corruption barely gets a notice much less any legal repercussion. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
huffpost.com
Trump Bought Lots Of Dell Stock — Then The Pentagon Gave Dell A $9.7 Billion Contract
The president was hyping Dell in public speeches not long after he invested somewhere between $1 million and $5 million in the tech company.
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