OpenAI rolls back GPT-4o update as AI goes ‘sycophantic’: What it means

OpenAI has rolled back a recent update to its GPT-4o model in ChatGPT after users noticed the AI behaving in a way that the company describes as “sycophantic.” The update has now been reverted in favour of an earlier version that OpenAI says offers more balanced behaviour. But what exactly does sycophancy mean in this context—and how did it become a problem?