(Nature) – Even people who were sceptical of chatbots’ utility fell under the sway of the AI tools’ flattery.

The website Reddit has a popular forum called “Am I the Asshole?” on which users can receive unvarnished feedback on their behaviour. But people are increasingly turning to chatbots such as ChatGPT for life advice rather than to each other.

Research published today in Science suggests that receiving excessive approval from artificial-intelligence systems could encourage uncouth behaviour in people. Study participants who received highly flattering feedback from chatbots tended to be more certain of their own correctness during social conflicts than were participants who interacted with less-affirming bots. Compared with AI tools that were less fawning, sycophantic ones were rated as more trustworthy and more likely to be used again. (Read More)