‘Sycophantic’ AI chatbots tell users what they want to hear, study shows

Scientists warn of insidious risks' of increasingly popular technology that affirms even harmful behaviour

Turning to AI chatbots for personal advice poses insidious risks", according to a study showing the technology consistently affirms a user's actions and opinions even when harmful.

Scientists said the findings raised urgent concerns over the power of chatbots to distort people's self-perceptions and make them less willing to patch things up after a row.