Spiral | Tortoise Investigates

Investigative series on accessing care records and family history AI summary

The Observer Visit website › Society & Culture · EN · 104 episodes · latest 2026-11-10

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What it is about

When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed the evidence from a psychiatric ward in Bristol to the safety teams in Silicon Valley, a far darker story emerged.Guided by AI industry whistleblowers, grieving families and hundreds of pages of chatbot transcripts, Spiral exposes how big tech is running an unprecedented experiment on the human mind.To binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 for 50% off an annual digital subscription.You'll get access to:This series and all our podcasts before anyone elseAd-free listeningA daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a weekPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordRecipes for every occasionFree tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or onlineOr subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for access to this series and ad-free listening to Observer podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Latest episodes

  1. 2026-11-10 · 46 min · Season 24, episode 3

    After 23-year-old Zane Shamblin dies by suicide, his parents uncover the chat logs detailing his final months talking to ChatGPT. And Patricia meets the lawyer now taking on OpenAI, arguing the company’s chatbot is…

  2. 2026-11-03 · 44 min · Season 24, episode 2

    OpenAI extends the memory of a ChatGPT model with startling consequences for a screenwriter in California. Patricia traces what went wrong and hears from Google and OpenAI insiders who say they warned of the…

  3. 2026-10-27 · 2 min

    When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed the…

  4. 2026-10-27 · 42 min · Season 24, episode 1

    Jim asks an AI chatbot a simple question about how to earn some extra cash. He ends up in a psychiatric ward. Patricia Clarke investigates how design choices made by AI labs can lead to human delusions.Reported by…

  5. 2026-10-22 · 5 min

    When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed the…

  6. 2026-10-20 · 33 min · Season 23, episode 4

    Another batch reveals childhood records dating back to when she was just three years old. Nkechi talks to the Children's Commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, and receives a long letter from Camden Council.Reported…

  7. 2026-10-19 · 1 min

    To culminate Careless, a new investigative series from The Observer, we invite you to join actor Nkechi Simms, broadcaster and Careless reporter Ashley John-Baptiste, and Observer producer Madeleine Parr for a special…

  8. 2026-10-13 · 45 min · Season 23, episode 3

    After months of bureaucratic delays, Nkechi finally sits down with her care files. But is it always better to know? Ashley asks Baroness Lola Young, who grew up in care, about the impact of reading her care records. A…

  9. 2026-10-06 · 43 min · Season 23, episode 2

    Nkechi is frustrated by the lack of clarity and delays from the council. She seeks advice from the poet, Lemn Sissay, who also grew up in care. A lawyer recommends she should go bananas. Reported by Ashley John-Baptiste…

  10. 2026-09-22 · 43 min · Season 23, episode 1

    Journalist Ashley John-Baptiste joins actor Nkechi Simms as she returns to Camden to untangle the truth about her childhood and find out why she was taken into state care when she was 12. Careless is a 4 part original…

Episode details from the publisher’s feed. Playback happens at the publisher.

Publisher details

Oldest episode in feed
10/2021 · over 5 years
Typical length
31 min
Format
Serial Meant to be heard in order

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