Police found the ChatGPT link in growing reports of dangerous satanic practices
UK police have identified an unlikely driver after a surge in organized crime reports: ChatGPT. Survivors are turning to AI chatbots to process trauma, and experts say that’s leading more people to expose crimes including satanism, witchcraft, and spiritual abuse.
Support groups report a steady increase in calls over the past 18 months, with many crediting the AI tool for prompting them to seek help. The National Association of People Abused in Childhood says people contact their support line and say ChatGPT sent them.
These crimes, considered “witchcraft, spiritism and spiritual abuse,” often involve sexual abuse, violence and neglect combined with ritualistic elements aimed at controlling the victims. Perpetrators range from abusive families to organized networks and rape rings.
The National Council of Police Chiefs has established a special task force and is starting to train soldiers across the country. The effort follows a research review that suggests the convictions so far represent just the tip of the iceberg.
The rise of AI referrals
Napac CEO Gabrielle Shaw said the charity had seen a steady increase in reports of cultural abuse over the past 18 months, which broke the usual pattern. Calls tend to increase on days with supernatural significance. This is different.
“For the past six months to a year, we’ve been getting people contacting Napac’s support line saying ‘I was sent to you by ChatGPT’,” says Shaw. People are using AI tools for treatment and diagnosis, explaining, and any way to professional support issues. Satanism comes up a little in those conversations.
Only 14 criminal cases since 1982 have legalized sexual harassment practices. Psychiatrist Dr. Elly Hanson reviewed the matter last year and determined that those cases reflect a portion of the real crimes.
Why the justice gap persists
The cultural symbols themselves prevented persecution. Because the information can sound “cheesy,” the program has historically dismissed the reports. Richard Fewkes, director of the Hydrant Programme, said the authorities must improve, admitting that this abuse rarely reaches the police.
Victims grow up in what Dr. Hanson calls “laws of brutality,” but the truth is hidden amid public skepticism and conspiracy theories. Abuse occurs in white British families, sometimes with privilege, survivors name grandmothers and aunts as abusers.
Last year members of a Scottish male group posing as witches and wizards were arrested, giving a rare sentence. But experts say such cases are always unique.
New training, new way forward
NPCC, Napac and the Hydrant program released an official forum this month for experts with experience in witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse. The goal is to prepare officers to handle these cases when survivors come forward.
For those using ChatGPT as a primary disclosure tool, Shaw sees reason for optimism. If technology leads people to professional help, he said, that represents progress. A steady increase in reports suggests that the chatbot is reaching survivors who may otherwise remain silent.
As specialized training continues, the program is finally getting used to crimes that have been neglected for a long time. For victims enduring what Hanson describes as “systems of brutality,” the combination of AI access and policing reforms may offer a clear path out.
