Teaching Against AI Sycophancy in the Research Writing Classroom

Republished with permission of author. Originally published at https://ruth.substack.com/

Two recent Science articles led me to rethink the impact of AI feedback in a research writing classroom. Myra Cheng and her co-authors recently published an important article, "Sycophantic AI decreases prosocial intentions and promotes dependence," that shows social sycophancy is widespread in leading AI systems. Across major models, AI proved substantially more likely than human respondents to affirm users even when those users described unethical or socially harmful conduct. Even more striking, a single sycophantic interaction increased users' confidence that they were justified while reducing their willingness to take responsibility or repair harm. Anat Perry's accompanying Science perspective, "In defense of social friction," explains the impact of AI distortion on learning, because development depends on tolerating corrective pressure rather than escaping it.