I’m stuck using Copilot for work, and for 3-4 months I began every prompt with ‘Do not comment or offer an opinion on my query’ and eventually Copilot stopped with the sycophancy.
Now I’m actively working on deprogramming myself of the notion of speaking to it as a human and making a point to treat it like an old-school MS-DOS ish OS and give it commands instead of being conversational, because it’s important to remember that this fucking thing is a computer program.
GPT has a thing in the settings where you can add text to incorporate in your prompts. Mine says to provide honest feedback, and pretend you’re JK Simmons playing a brutally honest professor giving advice to a student.
But I found that programming it to speak to me manipulatively was demeaning and infantile, though sadly it’s proven to be an excellent design decision for mass adoption. For me, personally, it’s just important to keep this thing I’m forced to use in context.
This kind of weird profile scanning stuff is why i refuse to use anything other than a local model. It doesnt get to know anything about me other than what i tell it, and that only applies to whatever folder/conversation im currently in
It was meant to be ironic, yes, but point taken. My most recent video on my YT channel was about the leak to 404 media that people are using Copilot to create CSAM, but there are probably better ways to refer to the program derisively.
Absolutely. I must use Claude at work. I put instructions in my CLAUDE.MD to, “lay off the sycophantic bullshit. No praise or extraneous details, just deliver answers.”
It doesn’t work, per se… But it seems to reduce the attempted fellatio, at least a little.
I noticed Copilot doing this and I told it to stop that behaviour through the customization prompt. “I don’t want platitudes, flattery, or an AI that agrees with me. I need an answer with sources and nothing else.” seems to have fixed its worst tendencies for now.
Now that I am forced to use it for work I at least get output that’s usable. The only thing that still irks me is when it attempts to speak from experience (“In my experience…”) and when it attempts to humanize itself (“Personally…”). I haven’t managed to kill those behaviours yet, but they are getting really annoying.
I think anyone who isn’t an American hates that, and probably even some of them. For Gemini at work I’ve got a custom gem set up with explicit instructions to cut that shit out and just be as factual as possible.
Having to use AI daily I’m curious if I’m rare in this respect.
Do other people also hate the fact that the responses are modelled in a way that are basically sucking you off?
Then when you challenge a response (they lie so goddamn much) they suck you off even more.
I’m stuck using Copilot for work, and for 3-4 months I began every prompt with ‘Do not comment or offer an opinion on my query’ and eventually Copilot stopped with the sycophancy.
Now I’m actively working on deprogramming myself of the notion of speaking to it as a human and making a point to treat it like an old-school MS-DOS ish OS and give it commands instead of being conversational, because it’s important to remember that this fucking thing is a computer program.
GPT has a thing in the settings where you can add text to incorporate in your prompts. Mine says to provide honest feedback, and pretend you’re JK Simmons playing a brutally honest professor giving advice to a student.
snort
Nice.
Seriously and it will sometimes drop my name like fuck off you are not a person do not refer to me like you are
Interesting. I haven’t had that happen.
But I found that programming it to speak to me manipulatively was demeaning and infantile, though sadly it’s proven to be an excellent design decision for mass adoption. For me, personally, it’s just important to keep this thing I’m forced to use in context.
Yeah that sycophantic behavior really creeps me the hell out
I just told Claude yesterday to never refer to me by name. Fucking creeps me out.
This kind of weird profile scanning stuff is why i refuse to use anything other than a local model. It doesnt get to know anything about me other than what i tell it, and that only applies to whatever folder/conversation im currently in
I start most queries with “be terse”. 2 words that strip out all of the conversational BS and examples and alternate views et cetera.
Might wanna change that abbreviation there. Unless it was intentional?
It was meant to be ironic, yes, but point taken. My most recent video on my YT channel was about the leak to 404 media that people are using Copilot to create CSAM, but there are probably better ways to refer to the program derisively.
I think CP has been replaced by CSAM these days.
Gen Z might not ide right CP as taboo.
Absolutely. I must use Claude at work. I put instructions in my CLAUDE.MD to, “lay off the sycophantic bullshit. No praise or extraneous details, just deliver answers.”
It doesn’t work, per se… But it seems to reduce the attempted fellatio, at least a little.
I tell GPT to pretend it’s JK Simmons playing a teacher. It kind of works.
I like to use the ADHD output style to condense the output.
You are my fucking hero. I had never heard of this.
Yeah I might have to try that.
As an aside having used all flavours from a coding perspective Claude is just chef’s kiss.
Copilot can burn in a fire.
I noticed Copilot doing this and I told it to stop that behaviour through the customization prompt. “I don’t want platitudes, flattery, or an AI that agrees with me. I need an answer with sources and nothing else.” seems to have fixed its worst tendencies for now.
Now that I am forced to use it for work I at least get output that’s usable. The only thing that still irks me is when it attempts to speak from experience (“In my experience…”) and when it attempts to humanize itself (“Personally…”). I haven’t managed to kill those behaviours yet, but they are getting really annoying.
Can’t you just say “don’t try to humanize yourself, like, ever”?
Hasn’t worked so far, that streak seems to be almost hard coded into it.
I don’t use AI, mostly because I just don’t see a use case for it personally, but the ass kissing is definitely something I don’t enjoy either.
Being surrounded by sychophants can be a very bad thing.
I think anyone who isn’t an American hates that, and probably even some of them. For Gemini at work I’ve got a custom gem set up with explicit instructions to cut that shit out and just be as factual as possible.