If you asked the average person about the most annoying characteristics of AI chatbots, two things would likely be high on the list: they are excessively flattering and they confidently make stuff up. Many of us are nevertheless using them as confidantes – and it’s causing a new class of mental-health problems that is troubling psychologists.

AI-induced psychosis is where people suffering from delusions have them validated and enhanced by chatbots, so the AI and its human users are essentially hallucinating together. Lucy Osler, a specialist in psychopathology at the University of Exeter, explains why people have become susceptible and how we might navigate the problem.

In response to multiple drone incursions from Russia, leaders in western Europe are considering building a defensive virtual wall. Here’s how it would work and the prospects for success.

And just when you thought beauty treatments couldn’t get any weirder, some people are applying menstrual blood to their faces in search of skincare benefits. So what does the science say?

Now’s your last chance to register for our free online event exploring what Chancellor Rachel Reeves should do in next week’s budget. Tonight’s panel discussion, in partnership with the LSE International Inequalities Institute, will see a panel of expert debate how the chancellor could use tax to not only balance the books but also address the UK’s wealth and inequality problems. Sign up here.