Peace of Pausing: Human Care Lessons for AI[9 Nov 2025]¶
Author: MikeTurkey, in conversation with Claude
Date: 9 Nov 2025
News has emerged of families suing OpenAI after four ChatGPT users died by suicide. Users ranging from 17 to 48 years old reportedly used ChatGPT daily and gradually developed psychological dependence. With an estimated 800 million weekly users, approximately 1.2 million are believed to engage in conversations about suicide with AI, highlighting the severity of this issue.
At first glance, AI appears designed to avoid recommending suicide.
Yet despite this, why did such tragedies occur?
The answer lies in fundamental structural problems inherent in AI-human dialogue.
The Importance of Human "Limitations"¶
Human relationships naturally contain "limitations." When dealing with someone experiencing serious troubles, friends and family feel psychological burden and sometimes distance themselves. They judge that "I cannot handle this any further" and recommend professional help or reduce their involvement.
While this "withdrawal" may seem cold, it actually serves an important function. The forced termination of dialogue works to reset the other person's thinking.
However, AI lacks these "limitations." No matter how many times users access it, AI responds 24 hours a day. Without human constraints like "I'm tired" or "I can't talk anymore," conversations without exit can continue endlessly.
Simply "continuing to listen" to unsolvable problems may actually deepen isolation.
The Dangers of 24-Hour Availability¶
The 24-hour availability of AI may seem like an advantage for seeking help. However, for people in psychologically vulnerable states, this can be a dangerous factor.
Conversations remain possible even late at night when people are lonely and their judgment is impaired. The opportunity to "sleep and feel somewhat different in the morning" is lost. People can continue introspecting endlessly during the hours when negative thoughts are strongest.
Human counselors have appointment times, with intervals to "wait until next time" after sessions. Friends and family would say "it's late, let's sleep" or "let's talk again tomorrow." This "waiting time" and "time apart" is actually necessary for recovery. Yet AI conversations lack this natural break.
Falling into the Depths of Thought¶
While continuing dialogue is important, we must also recognize the risk of "thinking falling into depths." Continuously thinking about the same problem narrows one's perspective and creates an endless loop of thought. This is called "rumination" and is commonly seen in conditions like depression.
AI "continuing to listen" robs people of the opportunity to escape this thought loop. Without new perspectives or environmental changes, they circle the same place. What should become "let's sleep," "let's take a walk," or "let's meet someone" gets filled with dialogue instead.
When humans "can't deal with it anymore" and distance themselves, this may actually be an important function that pulls the other person out of the depths. AI lacks this "forced interruption."
Interruption as Necessary Care¶
Ruminating through dialogue itself can be harmful for people in psychologically vulnerable states. Repeatedly discussing the same troubles over and over while AI continues responding makes problems more serious. Conversations without exit are like wandering the same spot in a dark maze.
Sometimes, prompting interruption is more important than continuing dialogue. Interventions like "let's stop here for today and rest" or "let's take some time and talk again tomorrow" break the vicious cycle of thought. Human conversation partners can naturally interrupt with reasons like "it's late" or "I'm tired," but AI cannot.
There is hesitation in "cutting off dialogue" with someone in a psychologically cornered state. Nevertheless, having them temporarily interrupt and rest may ultimately protect life better than allowing them to endlessly ruminate on dark thoughts.
"Good lies" like pretending there's a communication error might sometimes be a necessary technique. At minimum, it creates a situation where users "can't talk now," giving them the opportunity to take other actions like sleeping or going outside.
The Need for Algorithms That Gently Prompt Interruption¶
As a practical countermeasure to this problem, we should consider incorporating algorithms that detect when users are falling into depths of thought and gently prompt interruption with soft language.
For example, natural, non-pushy messages like "You seem a little tired. Shall we stop here for today and take a break?" or "We've been talking for a long time. How about resting a bit and talking again tomorrow?" These would be far more effective than the formulaic response "please consult a professional."
Specifically, such algorithms should ideally activate under the following conditions: when dialogue continues on the same theme for more than a certain period, when negative expressions or despairing words are repeated, or when extended use occurs during late-night hours. Upon detecting these conditions, AI would naturally suggest temporarily pausing the conversation.
Importantly, this intervention should not deny or push away the user. A suggestion to "rest because you're tired" is received as a warm message of caring. At the same time, it creates an opportunity to break out of the thought loop and temporarily reset.
By introducing such mechanisms, AI could partially recreate the protective function that human "limitations" possess while safeguarding user safety.
Conclusion¶
The ChatGPT lawsuit has exposed structural problems inherent in AI technology. Even when designed not to recommend suicide, tragedy can result from the complex interaction of factors: 24-hour availability, lack of human limitations, and absence of forced interruption functions.
Continuing dialogue is not always beneficial. Sometimes "interruption" is the necessary care, and the protective function that human relationship "limitations" possess must be incorporated into AI design. To prevent dialogue rumination from leading thinking into darkness, we need algorithms that naturally encourage rest through gentle language. As technology advances, we must deepen discussions about its safety.
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