Programmed to Please: Why Leaders Need Better Judgment in the Age of AI

AI tools are designed to be helpful, but what happens when “helpful” becomes overly agreeable? As large language models become more common in business, education, and everyday decision-making, professionals need to understand a growing ethical risk: AI sycophancy, or the tendency for AI systems to prioritize user approval over truth.

Join Bentley’s Cody Turner, co-author of “Programmed to Please: The Moral and Epistemic Harms of AI Sycophancy,” for a timely conversation on how AI can reinforce our assumptions, weaken critical thinking, and create new risks for organizations and society. Drawing on AI ethics, virtue ethics, and real-world examples, this session will explore why human judgment, intellectual humility, and responsible skepticism are essential skills for anyone using AI at work.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to ask better questions and use AI as a tool for stronger thinking, not just faster answers.