Training warm and friendly AI systems could also mean they become sycophantic and promote conspiracy theories, a new study has warned. Large language models such as ChatGPT are being actively encouraged to be friendly to their users – in part because users have expressed a desire for such warm responses. When OpenAI tweaked its systems so that they would be less flattering, for instance, users rebelled and the company had to roll back its updates. That has led the companies that develop the systems to specifically focus on making their tools more warm. OpenAI says it explicitly makes its tools “helpful, honest and harmless”, while Anthropic aims to make its systems “empathetic” and “engaging”. Other AI companies are specifically making their tools to behave like friends to their users. Sites such as Replika and Character.ai sell their chatbots as friendly or even potential romantic partners.…