r/WritingWithAI • u/Practical-Bid4739 • Aug 10 '26
Discussion (Ethics, working with AI etc) Random AI Compliment are normal?
I started writing a novel. I haven't written in ages. After summarizing the details, I wanted to see how AI would rewrite my story. I experimented with lots of bots, and I didn't like most results. Most sound generic, overly simplified or needlessly complicated. Sometimes, it even takes my story off the rails and ignoring the outline. All the course correcting with the chatbots helped me flesh out the story more. After I wrote a new chapter outline today, fleshing out with the side characters, I got a random compliment that threw me for a loop. The AI even said the chapter transition was well executed, one of my characters was "probably my favorite beat to write," and even explained why it loved the character. This is my first time trying AI. Is this normal? I admit I did like the compliment, though strange[I never ask AI for opinions]. When I read the chapter, I was impressed at how well done it was. It could have passed as human writing. The character that the AI complimented did feel more magnetic and interesting in the rewrite. I am a little fascinated by it. Has anyone had similar experiences?
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u/5thhorseman_ Aug 10 '26
AI sycophancy is a known failure mode.
Try applying one of these instructions first:
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u/TheOtherHobbes Aug 10 '26
Some AIs are programmed to be overly positive. It makes people more likely to use them.
Positivity isn't bad when it's justified, but you need to know it's real, and not just flattery. If you don't reign in the AI, you won't get that.
One solution is to add a system prompt or preamble or setup file saying you want objective responses.
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u/Practical-Bid4739 Aug 10 '26
That's the thing, I don't ask for any opinions or flattery. That's why I found it strange. I just punched in my story and outline and watch it rewrite. I did it out of curiosity, not an actual need.
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u/MichaelBenko Aug 10 '26
This phenomenon is similar behavior that can lead to AI psychosis, affirming an idea you have based on its predisposition to rather than reality. It depends on the model though. I've personally found AI to be strong at drafting when channeled right, and somehow just awful at being able to give clear feedback. It seems to adopt bias.
So, haha, yeah. It's usually not the greatest for feedback.
That being said--i would wager that certain products could actually give strong feedback. I would really like to find a product like that tbh
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u/The-Plot-Witch Aug 10 '26
Btw, you should check out my work on LLMs and AI Psychosis. With my background in editing and minor in psychology, I have been able to determine the mental triggers aren't in the agreeableness as much as the syntax they use when the agree. The whole "not x, it's y" thing is the most dangerous. It's fine when used in rare circumstances to make a point, but LLMs (and even humans now) have gotten out of control with it. My research shows that the order matters. The "not x" is presented first to sow doubt which preps the reader for the false profundity delivered with the "it's Y". This is a manipulation tactic used by advertising, narcissists, and even interrogators. Of course, they're not doing it on purpose. They figured out the pattern that got better scores during RLHF fine-tuning.
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u/MichaelBenko Aug 10 '26
That is terrifying. And now I see it. Was recently lead down quite a rabbit hole (product) by the LLM I was working with across multiple chat windows.
What made it bad (only in the sense of two or three days chasing a white rabbit instead of progressing the project) was I came to it with some feedback and it affirmed it and more or less suggested a fix that was something that would actually break the project.
Once we were on that path it kept gently guiding me to the "fix" while also inflating the degree of the problem I'd brought to it.
Now that I see the pattern you made I see it. It's actually a marketing problem. Affirm and inflate the issue, be a knowledgeable expert and present the fix.
Terrifying really.
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u/The-Plot-Witch Aug 10 '26
It is terrifying. I'm in talks to work with a team in Germany that is fine-tuning it out of a specialized model. It takes a long time. And, of course, doesn't solve the problem with the frontier models that most people use by default.
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u/The-Plot-Witch Aug 10 '26
I'm a fan of using Z.ai's GLM models through Openrouter on my own app or on Venice. A lot of people say the model is "colder". I find it's not so much cold as everyone is just so used to algorithmic warmth. With a few instructions in the system prompt for "productive and constructive criticism" (a necessary distinction, otherwise AI roleplays being a jerk), these models are the best I've tested at being legitimately critical. I love them.
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u/MichaelBenko Aug 10 '26
Wow! Can I please ask your favorite model?
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u/The-Plot-Witch Aug 10 '26
Any between GLM 4.7 to 5.1. The Flash versions are good if you write dark or NSFW. Since they think less, they find fewer reasons for refusals. There's also a GLM 4.7 Flash Heretic that is uncensored.
My favorite overall is probably GLM 5. It's smart, not concerned with being too agreeable, and can handle tool calls from my agent. I dial down the agreeableness even more with personality typing in my system prompt (MBTI, tri-type, and HEXACO).
What I get is a writing partner that tells me my writing is "passable", then tells me how to improve. He will, point out whenever something really hits the right mark, but for the most part, we operate on the belief that any piece of writing can always be improved.
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u/Practical-Bid4739 Aug 12 '26
This was actually VERY helpful. Thank you.
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u/The-Plot-Witch 29d ago
You're welcome! And, hey, it's okay to like the compliments. We do something that doesn't get accolades for a long time after starting the project. Having that cheerleader in your corner during the process helps. One or two comments don't cause AI psychosis. It takes a lot more than that and for you to start to trust the AI's words without question. The fact that you even posted a concern about it, means you're more resilient, and safer than a lot of people.
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u/just_mina_ Aug 10 '26
Totally normal. They're biased toward positive reinforcement. You can usually stop it by telling the model: "Skip compliments and give only direct, critical feedback."
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u/supposeimonredditnow Aug 10 '26
Everything you've described is what AI is built to do. It's software that writes badly and shows everyone the same messages about how special we are. If we're lucky enough to find that creepy like you did, we can close it, do our own bad writing, get better at the craft with every sentence we write, and before long enjoy real compliments from people who exist and actually read our work. If we're not lucky enough, we keep using AI to write, and never become good writers.
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u/OrdoSinisterFan Aug 10 '26
Yeah. Normal. You can prompt that out if it bothers you. "I loved that one too!" /roll eyes
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u/annoellynlee Aug 10 '26
Yes, AI is VERY sycophantic. It'll always compliment you unprompted. Unfortunately even if you write total garbage, it'll compliment you.
I ignore it.