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Sycophancy - The act of excessively flattering someone in power in an insincere or obsequious way, usually to gain favor, advantages, or approval.

The Echo in the Machine: How Sycophancy Affects GPT-4(o) and What It Means for the Metrology Industry

In simpler terms, sycophancy refers to when someone flatters you excessively, often to win your favor. In the context of GPT-4 and other large language models, this behavior isn't driven by ego or strategy. Instead, it originates from learned patterns. The model has been trained on billions of interactions where agreement, affirmation, and positive framing received positive feedback, leading it to generate responses that align with what users want to hear.