Build an angel, not a demigod; The Washington Post, June 16, 2026

Bill Drexel, The Washington Post ; Build an angel, not a demigod

Religious commitment is good at shaping behavior. That should interest AI labs.

"Recent attention from religious authorities toward AI, such as Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, is a welcome development for the trajectory of this technology. But the more necessary step is for the engineers to return the favor — to be more honest about the religious shape of their own anxieties, not least to themselves, and the advantages that religious inspiration might provide to address their fears.

Were they more open to it, these labs might even recognize that theology offers them a better goal: developing an angel, superior to humans in intelligence and power but sent to serve them. Instead of raising a demigod, might they not try to engineer a Gabriel?"

AI overly affirms users asking for personal advice; Stanford Report, March 26, 2026

Stanford Report ; AI overly affirms users asking for personal advice: Not only are AIs far more agreeable than humans when advising on interpersonal matters, but users also prefer the sycophantic models.

"Researchers found chatbots are overly agreeable when giving interpersonal advice, affirming users' behavior even when harmful or illegal.

Users became more convinced they were right and less empathetic, but still preferred the agreeable AI.

Researchers warn sycophancy is an urgent safety issue requiring developer and policymaker attention."