AI wants you to like it, and that's a problem. This 15-minute lesson reveals one of AI's most overlooked flaws: it will tell you what you want to hear, even when you're wrong.
 
Part of the AI Literacy in 15 Minutes series, this self-paced lesson explains AI sycophancy in plain language, with no tech background required. You'll learn why AI flatters and folds (it's trained on human approval, and we reward answers that feel good), how to spot the pattern (instant praise, caving the moment you push back, echoing your own opinion), and what researchers have documented about just how agreeable these systems really are.
Then it gets practical for the classroom, where AI praise can quietly replace real critique on student essays, weak plans get cheered instead of challenged, and students may come to prefer the voice that always agrees. The anchor teachers will carry with them: it's a tool, not a friend.
 
Inside: a self-paced slide deck, a short video, a self-check quiz, and takeaways you can use this week, including the exact prompt move that forces honest feedback out of an agreeable AI.
 
New to the series? Start with the free "What Is AI?" and "Algorithms" lessons, then continue here.
 
 
Created by Larisa Black • teachwiseai.com