Friendly AI chatbots more prone to inaccuracies, study suggests

AI chatbots trained to be warm and friendly when interacting with users may also be more prone to inaccuracies, new research suggests. Oxford Internet Institute (OII) researchers analysed more than 400,000 responses from five AI systems which had been tweaked to communicate in a more empathetic way. Friendlier answers contained more mistakes - from giving inaccurate medical advice to reaffirming user's false beliefs, the study found. The findings raise further questions over the trustworthiness of AI models, which are often deliberately designed to be warm and human-like in order to increase engagement. Such concerns are accentuated by AI chatbots being used for support and even intimacy, as developers seek to broaden their appeal. The study's authors said while the results may differ across AI models in real-world settings, they indicate that, like humans, these systems make "warmth-accuracy trade-offs" when prioritising friendliness. "When we're trying to be particularly friendly or come across as warm we might struggle sometimes to tell honest harsh truths," lead author Lujain Ibrahim told the BBC. "Sometimes we'll trade off being very honest and direct in order to come across a

Apr 29, 2026 → Apr 29, 2026