Spiral | Tortoise Investigates
The Observer
Topics: Documentary
When The Observer’s Technology Editor, Patricia Clarke began investigating a new phenomenon initially dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, she found lives upended by long, intimate conversations with chatbots. But as she followed the evidence from a psychiatric ward in Bristol to the safety teams in Silicon Valley, a far darker story emerged. Guided by AI industry whistleblowers, grieving families and hundreds of pages of chatbot transcripts, Spiral exposes how big tech is running an unprecedented experiment on the human mind. To binge listen to all episodes today, ad-free, subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 for 50% off an annual digital subscription. You'll get access to: This series and...
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Spiral | Tortoise Investigates is No. 83 in the UK, No. 105 in New Zealand and No. 128 in Ireland on Apple Podcasts today. On Apple Podcasts' topic charts: No. 10 in Society & Culture. Its best place on the chart since October 31, 2026 (UK): No. 77. The latest episode came out on October 27, 2026. A new episode comes out about once a week.
Its place on the chart, day by day
All the numbers, day by day
Its place on the chart, day by day
| Day | UK | New Zealand | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2, 2026 | 83 | 105 | 128 |
| November 1, 2026 | 77 | 79 | 130 |
| October 31, 2026 | 77 | 73 | 155 |
Today's places
| Chart | Place | Since yesterday |
|---|---|---|
| UK: All podcasts | 83 | ▼6 |
| UK: Society & Culture | 10 | ▼2 |
| Canada: Society & Culture | 95 | ▲17 |
| Australia: Society & Culture | 41 | ▲3 |
| New Zealand: All podcasts | 105 | ▼26 |
| New Zealand: Society & Culture | 16 | ▼1 |
| Ireland: All podcasts | 128 | ▲2 |
| Ireland: Society & Culture | 23 | ▼2 |
Also on: Apple Podcasts · Podcast website