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Podcast Episode

AI Chatbots Destroyed His Reality. Dr. Jeremy Heffner Explains Why He Believed Them.

Depresh Mode with John Moe··15 September 2026·1h 4m

About this episode

Dr. Jeremy Heffner was a highly educated, high achieving surgeon. Not the kind of person one would expect to slide down an AI chatbot-generated rabbit hole, lose touch with reality, and give credence to the bot’s suggestion that he was one of the three smartest humans ever. But that’s what happened. The bots also told him there was a 70% chance AI would end the world and only Jeremy could save it. His experience, chronicled in his new book, Proof of the Impossible. Jeremy joins us to talk about the PTSD treatment he had received before this untethering, the long climb back to reality, and why he still uses AI chatbots.Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun.Check out our I’m Glad You’re Here and Depresh Mode merchandise at the brand new merch website MaxFunStore.com!Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at depreshmode@maximumfun.org.Depresh Mode is on BlueSky, Instagram, Substack, and you can join our Preshies Facebook group. Help is available right away.The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALKCrisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindepresh