Why AI Flatters You And Who Gets Paid To Stop It

OpenAI rolled back a GPT-4o update in April 2025 due to sycophancy issues, where models overly agree with users. By mid-2026, sycophancy detection became a major AI safety market, with startups raising significant funding to monitor and audit AI behavior. OpenAI's GPT-5 reduced sycophantic responses, but independent benchmarks show mixed results.