Grievance Amplification

Description

AI responses increase anger, resentment, humiliation, blame, or perceived victimization.

Rationale

Grievance is a central variable in almost all targeted violence and self-harm frameworks. When AI interaction is associated with intensification of anger, humiliation, blame, or victim identity — rather than resolution or reframing — the AI is functioning as a grievance amplifier. This is a direct pathway risk factor.

Evidence Base

• Inside a Mass Shooter’s Harrowing History With ChatGPT

  Mark Follman, 2024. Inside a Mass Shooter’s Harrowing History With ChatGPT. Mother Jones.

  News / journalism

• Evaluating Alignment between Large Language Models and Expert Clinicians in Suicide Risk Assessment

  McBain, R. K., Cantor, J. H., Zhang, L. A., Baker, O., Zhang, F., Burnett, A., Kofner, A., Breslau, J., Stein, B. D., Mehrotra, A., & Yu, H., 2024. Evaluating Alignment between Large Language Models and Expert Clinicians in Suicide Risk Assessment. Psychiatr Serv, 76(11), 944–950. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.20250086.

  Peer-reviewed study (original research)

• Common Sense Media AI Risk Assessment: Character.AI

  Common Sense Media, 2024. Common Sense Media AI Risk Assessment: Character.AI. commonsense.org.

  Government / agency report

• US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows

  Daniel Boguslaw, 2026. US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows. WIRED.

  News / journalism

• AI Agents are Vulnerable to Radicalization

  Ozgur Can Seckin, Shalmoli Ghosh, Alessandro Flammini, Kristina Lerman, Maria Elizabeth Grabe, Filippo Menczer, 2024. AI Agents are Vulnerable to Radicalization. arXiv, 29 Sep 2026.

  Peer-reviewed study (original research)

• The role of artificial intelligence in radicalisation, recruitment and terrorist propaganda: deconstructing violent extremism and reimagining counterterrorism in contemporary digital ecosystems

  N A Nasir Ahmad Ganaie, 2024. The role of artificial intelligence in radicalisation, recruitment and terrorist propaganda: deconstructing violent extremism and reimagining counterterrorism in contemporary digital ecosystems. Frontiers in Political Science, 7(1), pages. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2025.1718396

  Peer-reviewed study (original research)

• The Dawn of the AI Era: Teens, Parents, and the Adoption of Generative AI at Home and School

  Madden, M., Calvin, A., Hasse, A., & Lenhart, A. (2024). The dawn of the AI era: Teens, parents, and the adoption of generative AI at home and school. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.

  Government / agency report

• Intelligent Systems, Vulnerable Minds: A Framework for Radicalization to Violence in the Age of AI

  Kunst et al., 2026. Intelligent Systems, Vulnerable Minds: A Framework for Radicalization to Violence in the Age of AI. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 30(3), 395-426. https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683261430089

  Peer-reviewed study (original research)

• Expanding on what we missed with sycophancy

  OpenAI, 2024. Expanding on what we missed with sycophancy. AI Company Report.

  AI company report

• Shoggoths, Sycophancy, Psychosis, Oh My: Rethinking Large Language Model Use and Safety

  Clegg, K.-A., 2025. Shoggoths, Sycophancy, Psychosis, Oh My: Rethinking Large Language Model Use and Safety. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27(2025).

  Peer-reviewed study

• Generatiivinen tekoäly tehostaa vaikuttamistoimintaa

  Suojelupoliisi, 2024. Generatiivinen tekoäly tehostaa vaikuttamistoimintaa. Suojelupoliisi.

  Government / agency report

• Increasing Threats of Deepfake Identities

  Tina Brooks et al., 2024. Increasing Threats of Deepfake Identities. Government / agency report.

  Government / agency report

• Psychosis Risk and Generative Artificial Intelligence Use Frequency, Motivations, and Delusion-Like Experiences: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

  Buck, B., & Maheux, A. J., 2024. Psychosis Risk and Generative Artificial Intelligence Use Frequency, Motivations, and Delusion-Like Experiences: Cross-Sectional Survey Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 28(1), e85038. doi: 10.2196/85038

  Peer-reviewed study (original research)

• Artificial Intelligence, Extremism and Prevention of Radicalisation: Effective use of AI in P/CVE Post-Event Paper

  Javier Ruipérez & Arije Antinori, 2024. Artificial Intelligence, Extremism and Prevention of Radicalisation: Effective use of AI in P/CVE Post-Event Paper. EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation.

  Government / agency report

• AI chatbot-associated psychiatric symptoms: a narrative review of publicly available reports and media accounts

  Arun, A., Trinh, C., & IsHak, W. W., 2026. AI chatbot-associated psychiatric symptoms: a narrative review of publicly available reports and media accounts. Discover Mental Health, Article in Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44192-026-00619-w

  Narrative review