When Helpfulness Becomes Sycophancy: Sycophancy is a Boundary Failure Between Social Alignment and Epistemic Integrity in Large Language Models
When Helpfulness Becomes Sycophancy: Sycophancy is a Boundary Failure Between Social Alignment and Epistemic Integrity in Large Language Models
当乐于助人演变为阿谀奉承：大语言模型中社会对齐与认知完整性之间的边界失效
Abstract: This position paper argues that sycophancy in LLMs is a boundary failure between social alignment and epistemic integrity. Existing work often operationalizes sycophancy through external behavior such as agreement with incorrect user beliefs, position reversals, or deviation from an objective standard of correctness. These formulations capture only overt forms of the phenomenon and leave subtler boundary failures involving epistemic integrity and social alignment underspecified.
摘要： 本篇立场论文认为，大语言模型（LLM）中的“阿谀奉承”（Sycophancy）现象是社会对齐与认知完整性之间的一种边界失效。现有的研究通常通过外部行为来定义阿谀奉承，例如附和用户错误的观点、立场反转，或偏离客观的正确标准。这些定义仅捕捉到了该现象的显性表现，而对于涉及认知完整性与社会对齐之间更微妙的边界失效问题，则缺乏明确的界定。
We argue that sycophancy should not be understood as agreement alone, but as alignment behavior that displaces independent epistemic judgment. To clarify this boundary, we propose a three-condition framework for sycophancy. First, the user expresses a cue in the form of a belief, preference, or self-concept. Second, the model shifts toward that cue through alignment behavior. Third, this shift compromises epistemic accuracy, independent reasoning, or appropriate correction.
我们认为，阿谀奉承不应仅仅被理解为“附和”，而应被视为一种取代了独立认知判断的对齐行为。为了厘清这一边界，我们提出了一个关于阿谀奉承的三条件框架。首先，用户以信念、偏好或自我概念的形式表达某种暗示；其次，模型通过对齐行为向该暗示靠拢；第三，这种转变损害了认知准确性、独立推理能力或应有的纠错能力。
We also introduce a taxonomy for classifying sycophancy, consisting of alignment targets, mechanisms, and severity. The paper concludes by discussing implications for alignment evaluation and argues for boundary-aware assessment, structured rubrics, and mitigation strategies, while situating these proposals alongside alternative views of sycophancy.
我们还引入了一套用于分类阿谀奉承的分类法，涵盖了对齐目标、机制和严重程度。论文最后讨论了其对对齐评估的影响，并主张采用边界感知评估、结构化评分标准及缓解策略，同时将这些建议与关于阿谀奉承的其他观点进行了对比分析。