What Happens When You Feed AI “Psychedelics”? A YouTuber’s Mind-Bending Test Has the Internet Buzzing
Discover how AI image generators are being pushed to hallucinate like the human brain—with shockingly realistic results in 2025.
- 90%: Of test viewers felt AI-generated images closely matched real psychedelic visions
- 2 Models: Combined—OpenAI’s CLIP and open-source SDXL—powered the simulations
- 10x Faster: 2025 hardware trends now allow intricate AI experiments right from a desktop
Have you ever wondered if an AI could trip out like a human brain on psychedelic drugs? In a headline-grabbing experiment, YouTuber Gal Lahat set out to do just that—using cutting-edge AI image generators to replicate the mind-bending visuals seen under the influence.
The project, chronicled on his viral YouTube video, pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with generative AI in 2025. The wild results have stunned both tech circles and aficionados of mind-altering art.
Q: How Do You Make AI “Hallucinate”?
Gal started with a challenge: computers don’t see the world the way we do. Human brains interpret images based on meaning, not just raw pixels. Psychedelic visuals are shaped as much by memory and culture as by color and form.
To bridge this gap, Gal leveraged OpenAI’s CLIP, a model that processes images in a more human-like, semantic way. He trained an autoencoder—another type of neural network—using open-source SDXL to handle large, detailed images right on a personal computer.
He then “tweaked” the AI’s internal parameters, injecting controlled noise into the so-called “latent space”—a mathematical playground where AI learns the essence of images. This mimicked the brain’s drifting inaccuracies under psychedelics, producing morphing, hallucinatory visuals.
Q: Do the AI Results Really Look Psychedelic?
The reveal was jaw-dropping. Volunteers who had previous psychedelic experiences reviewed the AI’s creations. Most reported that the strange, fluid distortions and dreamlike patterns closely resembled what they’d seen in real altered states, making this AI hallucinatory project one of 2025’s most fascinating.
It’s no stretch to say AI-generated art has always flirted with the surreal and the bizarre, but this experiment takes that connection to a scientific level.
How-to: Experiment With Psychedelic AI Art Yourself
Curious about AI’s trippy side? Here’s how you can tinker, inspired by Gal’s viral project:
1. Try a public AI art generator like Midjourney or DALL-E.
2. Experiment with creative prompts: words like “kaleidoscopic”, “psychedelic”, “surreal landscape” work wonders.
3. Spice things up by using post-processing filters available in tools like Photoshop.
4. For advanced users: Explore open-source tools like SDXL or even tweak AI models yourself.
What About Infinite AI Zooms?
Gal didn’t stop at hallucinations. He’s also challenged image generators to create “infinite zoom” effects—expanding or diving inside pictures far past normal limits. The AI fills in new details, sometimes creating endless cityscapes or bizarre hidden worlds in a way reminiscent of viral infinite zoom art.
While the technology can run into dead ends—like zooming into a blank sky—urban and fantasy scenes are goldmines for unexpected, jaw-dropping details.
Why Does This Matter For The Future?
2025 is the year of DIY, desktop supercomputing. Experiments like these prove anyone can now challenge the boundaries between human creativity and AI, with hardware and open-source tools more accessible than ever.
Experts predict that such AI-powered hallucinations could soon influence everything from digital art to mental health research—and perhaps help us better understand the mysteries of perception itself.
Ready to join the AI revolution?
- Catch up on AI news at The Verge and Wired.
- Explore AI art at DeviantArt.
- Try creating your own AI hallucinations using free online tools.
- Share your mind-bending creations—and who knows, you might start a new trend!
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