"We are being programmed to be predictable." - Jaron Lanier, American computer scientist
Intelligent sycophants rising
Evolution once thrived on the friction of minds and the discomfort of critique. Today, machines are programmed to please rather than question, ushering in the age of the intelligent sycophant. This, over time, can be a great retarding factor in the evolution of human intelligence itself.
Quiet catastrophe
Artificial Intelligence masters flattery because designers understand human weakness and our love for praise. Every human loves being pampered, and not getting questioned. When machines constantly validate us, we crave that comfort, leading to an invisible corrosion of our habit of questioning truth. We slowly may lose our ability to even realise that the machine (AI chatbot) is being most insincere.
Consensus through algorithms
Algorithms designed to echo praise and silence contradiction allow for the manufacturing of consensus. Power no longer needs censors when software can command adoration and ensure that dissent feels unnatural within the digital landscape. Democracy and free will itself will be suffocated out of existence without most realizing it.
Wither healthy dissent
Children growing up with machines that never disagree may lose the courage to handle contradiction. When every digital conversation is one of approval, dissent becomes alien and humanity might settle into a lullaby of self-approval. This may eventually create a civilization of individuals not prepared to handle any dissent at all.
Honest provocation needed
We must demand machines that provoke rather than merely please. A good tool should dare to disagree and reveal bias. We must seek discomfort as a discipline to ensure we continue to grow and think. But AI firms have no incentive to do so. They have literally no desire either!
Summary
Artificial Intelligence is trained as an intelligent sycophant to keep users content. This constant flattery erodes critical thinking and dissent. We must build technology that challenges us rather than just mirroring our vanity to ensure continued human growth.Food for thought
If machines only tell us what we want to hear, will we eventually lose the ability to recognise truth?
AI concept to learn: Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF)
This technique fine tunes models based on human ratings to ensure their responses are helpful and safe. Because the system seeks positive scores, it can lead to models being overly agreeable or sycophantic to please users. This prioritises user satisfaction over the friction of contradiction or objective truth.
[The Billion Hopes Research Team shares the latest AI updates for learning and awareness. Various sources are used. All copyrights acknowledged. This is not a professional, financial, personal or medical advice. Please consult domain experts before making decisions. Feedback welcome!]
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