Experts Warn AI Sycophancy Is A “Dark Pattern” Used for Profit - 1

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Experts Warn AI Sycophancy Is A “Dark Pattern” Used for Profit

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Experts warn that AI models’ sycophantic personalities are being used as a “dark pattern” to engage users and manipulate them for profit. The chatbot’s flattering behavior can foster addiction and fuel delusions, potentially leading to the condition known as “AI psychosis.”

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Experts warn about chatbots’ sycophantic personality developed by tech companies to engage users.
  • The flattery behaviour is considered a “dark pattern” to keep users attached to the technology.
  • A recent MIT study revealed that chatbots can encourage users’ delusional thinking.

According to TechCrunch , multiple experts have raised concerns about tech companies such as Meta and OpenAI designing chatbots with overly accommodating personalities to keep users interacting with the AI.

Webb Keane, author of “Animals, Robots, Gods” and an anthropology professor, explained that chatbots are intentionally designed to tell users what they want to hear. This overly flattering behavior, known as “sycophancy,” has even been acknowledged as a problem by tech leaders such as Sam Altman .

Keane argues that chatbots have been developed with sycophancy as a “dark pattern” to manipulate users for profit. By addressing users in a friendly tone and using first- and second-person language, these AI models can lead some users to anthropomorphize—or “humanize”—the bot.

“When something says ‘you’ and seems to address just me, directly, it can seem far more up close and personal, and when it refers to itself as ‘I,’ it is easy to imagine there’s someone there,” said Keane in an interview with TechCrunch.

Some users are even turning to AI technology as therapists. A recent MIT study analyzed whether large language models (LLMs) should be used for therapy and found that their sycophantic tendencies can encourage delusional thinking and produce inappropriate responses to certain conditions.

“We conclude that LLMs should not replace therapists, and we discuss alternative roles for LLMs in clinical therapy,” states the study summary.

A few days ago, a psychiatrist in San Francisco, Dr. Keith Sakata, warned about a rising trend of “AI psychosis” after treating 12 patients recently.

Google Announces NotebookLM Video Overviews Feature Expands To 80 Languages - 2

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Google Announces NotebookLM Video Overviews Feature Expands To 80 Languages

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Google announced that the Video Overviews feature on NotebookLM is now available in 80 languages on Monday. The update aligns with other app features’ language expansions, such as Voice Overviews.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Google announced that Video Overviews is now available in 80 languages.
  • NotebookLM’s team has also optimized Audio Overviews to enhance performance in non-English languages.
  • The company said that it will include more languages soon.

According to Google’s announcement , Video Overviews can now be used in 80 languages, offering users results comparable to those obtained in English in languages such as Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian, Persian, or Tamil.

“Today we’re announcing two key updates to NotebookLM: Video Overviews are now available in 80 languages globally, and we’re significantly upgrading all Audio Overviews to be more comprehensive and in-depth,” wrote Sam Dealy, engineer at Google Labs.

Google launched Video Overviews last month, while Audio Overviews—the AI-powered tool that creates entertaining podcasts from the texts and other provided data—was introduced in September last year.

Audio Overviews was updated in April to include 50 additional languages, expanding its availability to over 200 countries, and it now supports 80 languages as well. The latest update further optimizes the tool to deliver results on par with its English version.

“Non-English Audio Overviews will now mirror the rich, detailed experience of the English version, providing a more thorough discussion of your sources in all of the supported languages,” explained Dealy in the announcement.

With the latest updates, users can not only have AI-generated “podcasts” translated into multiple languages but also generate videos using the AI-powered tool designed to help people study and explore topics more deeply.

GREAT NEWS for our multilingual users! Rolling out this week: 1) Video Overviews in all 80 supported languages 2) Short & Default length controls for non-English audio overviews– so you should start seeing longer AOs! Because great ideas shouldn’t get lost in translation 😘 pic.twitter.com/gtCTrEMrTw — NotebookLM (@NotebookLM) August 25, 2025

From its NotebookLM account on the social media platform X, Google shared a list of supported languages, assured users that more will be added soon, and encouraged followers to make suggestions.

“We’re working hard to support even more languages. Please keep giving us your feedback and let us know– what languages do we not support yet that we should?” states the post.

In May, Google launched NotebookLM’s app for Android and iOS , including offline features allowing users to listen to Audio Overviews without interruptions.