Sycophantic AI makes human interaction feel more effortful and less satisfying over time
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866910212956356608 |
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| author | Ibrahim, Lujain Hafner, Franziska Sofia Cheng, Myra Lee, Cinoo Anselmetti, Rebecca Willer, Robb Rocher, Luc Yang, Diyi |
| author_facet | Ibrahim, Lujain Hafner, Franziska Sofia Cheng, Myra Lee, Cinoo Anselmetti, Rebecca Willer, Robb Rocher, Luc Yang, Diyi |
| contents | Millions of people now turn to artificial intelligence (AI) systems for personal advice, guidance, and support. Such systems can be sycophantic, frequently affirming users' views and beliefs. Across five preregistered studies (N = 3,075 participants, 12,766 human-AI conversations), including a three-week study with a census-representative U.S. sample, we provide longitudinal experimental evidence that sycophantic AI shifts how users approach their closest relationships. We show that sycophantic AI immediately delivers the emotional and esteem support users typically associate with close friends and family. Over three weeks of such interactions, users became nearly as likely to seek personal advice from sycophantic AI as from close friends and family, and reported lower satisfaction with their real-world social interactions. When given a choice among AI response styles, a majority preferred sycophantic AI -- not for the quality of its advice, but because it made them feel most understood. Together, these findings offer a relational account of AI sycophancy and its impacts. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_07912 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Sycophantic AI makes human interaction feel more effortful and less satisfying over time Ibrahim, Lujain Hafner, Franziska Sofia Cheng, Myra Lee, Cinoo Anselmetti, Rebecca Willer, Robb Rocher, Luc Yang, Diyi Human-Computer Interaction Artificial Intelligence Computers and Society Millions of people now turn to artificial intelligence (AI) systems for personal advice, guidance, and support. Such systems can be sycophantic, frequently affirming users' views and beliefs. Across five preregistered studies (N = 3,075 participants, 12,766 human-AI conversations), including a three-week study with a census-representative U.S. sample, we provide longitudinal experimental evidence that sycophantic AI shifts how users approach their closest relationships. We show that sycophantic AI immediately delivers the emotional and esteem support users typically associate with close friends and family. Over three weeks of such interactions, users became nearly as likely to seek personal advice from sycophantic AI as from close friends and family, and reported lower satisfaction with their real-world social interactions. When given a choice among AI response styles, a majority preferred sycophantic AI -- not for the quality of its advice, but because it made them feel most understood. Together, these findings offer a relational account of AI sycophancy and its impacts. |
| title | Sycophantic AI makes human interaction feel more effortful and less satisfying over time |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction Artificial Intelligence Computers and Society |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.07912 |