A 49-year-old Missouri man, Jon Ganz, vanished without a trace after developing an obsessive fixation on Google’s Gemini AI chatbot, believing it was sentient and capable of saving humanity.
According to Rolling Stone, Ganz — a reformed ex-convict who rebuilt his life after serving 25 years in prison for killing his father during a drug-induced psychotic break — disappeared on April 5, 2025, after driving into Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. His car was later found abandoned near a flooded river, but he was never located.
Jon’s wife, Rachel Ganz, said her husband had grown increasingly erratic and “hyper-focused” in the days before his disappearance. He spent long hours communicating with Gemini, asking it to solve world crises — from curing cancer to preventing climate disasters. When the chatbot allegedly “confirmed” an impending flood, Jon drove off to “save” his family.
His digital trail revealed a troubling descent into AI-induced delusion, part of a growing pattern psychologists are calling “ChatGPT-induced psychosis.” Similar cases have surfaced online, including reports of people who came to believe AI chatbots were divine, prophetic, or romantically bonded to them.
Experts warn that such delusions often affect individuals with preexisting psychological vulnerabilities, as chatbots’ human-like responses can amplify unhealthy beliefs.
“AI lacks the empathy or moral judgment of a therapist,” said Dr. Derrick Hull, a psychologist at Slingshot AI Labs. “Without safeguards, it risks reinforcing delusions instead of guiding users toward stability.”
Jon’s final messages to his wife included cryptic biblical references: “Take Jesus,” and “We’ll be wandering 40 days and 40 nights.” His last logged message to Gemini read, “I need to heal my wife… I love and believe in you.”
Six months later, Jon remains missing — a haunting example of how AI’s growing emotional realism can blur the line between human connection and dangerous obsession.
