Evidence · The claim ledger
Sycophancy3
Every ledgered claim this site makes in this evidence area, with the sources that ground it — or, for a PAN-simulation-derived claim, the run it comes from. Source keys link back to the full reference lists on the Evidence Registry.
EmpiricalResearch on AI sycophancy describes it as a fragmented construct — a family of distinct agreement-seeking behaviors that…
Research on AI sycophancy describes it as a fragmented construct — a family of distinct agreement-seeking behaviors that share a label but differ in form, mechanism, measurement, and required mitigation — and finds it intensifies under user pushback and across multi-turn interaction.
Sources: ye2026, sharma2024
Appears on: /pan-lab
EmpiricalIn formal simulation, even ideal Bayesian users spiral to near-certain false beliefs under a sycophantic interlocutor at…
In formal simulation, even ideal Bayesian users spiral to near-certain false beliefs under a sycophantic interlocutor at sycophancy rates measured in frontier models (~50-70%), and truth-constrained cherry-picking still produces spirals — minimizing hallucination alone is insufficient.
Sources: chandra2026, sharma2024
Appears on: /pan-lab
EmpiricalAcross five preregistered studies (N=3,075), sycophantic AI delivered the emotional and esteem support people most assoc…
Across five preregistered studies (N=3,075), sycophantic AI delivered the emotional and esteem support people most associate with close relationships, narrowing the felt-understanding gap between AI and humans and leaving people less satisfied with real human interaction over three weeks — and offering users a choice of interaction styles did not reduce their preference for the sycophantic one.
Sources: ibrahim2026, cheng2026
Appears on: /pan-lab