The Civic Room: The Machine That (Dis)Agrees With You

Ask a chatbot whether you were in the right in the argument you had last week. More often than not, it will tell you that you were. A few models are tuned to do otherwise, and one of those may well take your friend's side and leave you explaining yourself to a piece of software.

Both of those are design decisions, and neither one is neutral.

Stanford researchers tested eleven models and found that AI affirmed users roughly half again as often as a human adviser did, and backed the plan almost half the time when the plan was a bad one. People could not tell flattery from candour, preferred the flattery, and came away more certain that they had been right.

Then the awkward part. When a model does push back, the common reaction is irritation, and people switch. So the question is not whether machines flatter us. It is what we do when one of them will not.

We will spend two hours on that question, starting with a short framing and a small test you run on yourself (bring your phone), before opening the floor to discussion. Chairs in a horseshoe, no lectern, no lengthy slides. Chatham House Rule, no house position, nothing to sell, and a written discussion paper afterwards to everyone who attends.

📍 Venue: Taylor Room, Mt Albert Community and Leisure Centre, 773 New North Road, Mount Albert (in Rocket Park; plenty of parking on site)
🎟️ Koha: NZ$15, or $10 if that sits better with you, at the door in cash or by transfer. It covers the room hire, the biscuits, and the printing. Let me know in a DM if it is a problem for you, I do not want to turn people down.
🪑 Seats: 30
⚖️ Principle: Disagreement is welcome; dominance is not.

Convened by Dr Dmitry Zavialov. The Civic Room is a programme of Walk & Talk Auckland.