Stanford University

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'Sycophantic' AI Chatbots May Be Making You a Jerk
'Sycophantic' AI Chatbots
May Be Making You a Jerk
new study
Mar 27, 2026 7:16 AM CDT

'Sycophantic' AI Chatbots May Be Making You a Jerk

Researchers find that the devices tend to side with the user in disputes, no matter what

(Newser) - Chatbots that constantly tell you you're right may be quietly making you worse at playing nice with others, a new study suggests. Researchers found that "sycophantic" AI tools that lavish users with praise and agreement can harden people's certainty in conflicts and make them less inclined to...

The DOJ Wants Records From 3 Top Medical Schools

As part of probe into 'possible race discrimination' in admissions

(Newser) - The Trump administration is now scrutinizing how three US medical schools decide who gets in. The Justice Department has launched civil rights investigations into the admissions practices at Stanford, the Ohio State University, and UC San Diego, demanding seven years of detailed applicant data, including test scores, ZIP codes, and...

Nasal Spray Could Protect Against Range of Respiratory Bugs

Tests show lungs could receive a warning that viruses or bacteria are about to attack

(Newser) - Scientists are testing a nasal spray that aims to put lungs on alert against just about any bug that tries to move in. Stanford University researchers said their "universal vaccine," so far only tried in animals, didn't teach the immune system to recognize a specific virus the...

A Matchmaking Algorithm Is Sweeping Campuses

Dating platform Date Drop spreads from Stanford, with $2M in VC funding

(Newser) - At Stanford, romance now arrives on a Tuesday night timer. The campus is flocking to Date Drop , a student-built matchmaking platform that promises algorithm-picked matches every Tuesday at 9pm, reports the Wall Street Journal . Created last fall by grad student Henry Weng, the site runs students through 66 questions on...

Scientists Solve Mystery of Jackson Pollock's Vivid Blue

Abstract expressionist used manganese blue, now discontinued

(Newser) - Scientists have identified the origins of the blue color in one of Jackson Pollock's paintings with a little help from chemistry, confirming for the first time that the abstract expressionist used a vibrant, synthetic pigment known as manganese blue, per the AP . "Number 1A, 1948," showcases Pollock'...

Trump Administration Probes Stanford and UC Admissions

Focus is on affirmative action compliance amid federal scrutiny

(Newser) - The Trump administration has opened investigations into Stanford University and three University of California campuses—Berkeley, UCLA, and Irvine—focused on whether their admissions policies comply with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action. US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is leading the effort, says she and President...

Stanford Fires Football Coach After Reports of Bullying

Troy Taylor was investigated twice for allegedly mistreating staffers

(Newser) - Stanford has fired head football coach Troy Taylor after two seasons following a report last week that he had been investigated twice for allegedly mistreating staffers. General manager Andrew Luck announced the decision on Tuesday in his first major move since taking over in his role running the entire football...

Suit: Colleges Exploited Students of Divorce Seeking Financial Aid

Harvard, Yale among schools listed in antitrust complaint; College Board also named as defendant

(Newser) - A current Boston University student has teamed up with a Cornell alum to go after dozens of elite private universities that they say conspired to overcharge students, including by exploiting those who had divorced parents. Reuters reports that the proposed class-action lawsuit filed Monday in Illinois names 40 top schools—...

Woman Who Skipped Thesis in 1941 Gets Master's

'It's nice to be recognized,' says Virginia Hislop, whose education was disrupted by WWII

(Newser) - A 20-something Virginia Hislop was on the verge of completing a master's degree in education in 1941 when World War II threw a wrench in her plans. She'd completed all degree requirements but a final thesis when her fiance was called to serve. Hislop abandoned her studies to...

Stanford President's Office Overtaken by Protesters

13 people are arrested; university says any students among them will be suspended

(Newser) - Wednesday marked the final day of classes in Stanford's spring term—and it proved to be a tumultuous morning. Pro-Palestinian protestors entered the university's Building 10 around 5:30am and proceeded to barricade themselves in the president's office within. The situation ended three hours later with 13...

Child Sex Abuse Tip Line May Soon Be Flooded by AI

New Stanford report issues warning on longtime 'enormously valuable' service

(Newser) - A tip line set up 26 years ago to combat online child exploitation needs technological and other improvements to help law enforcement rescue victims and go after abusers, a new report from the Stanford Internet Observatory has found. The fixes to what the researchers describe as an "enormously valuable"...

For 'Baby Jordan,' It's All About Daughter Kami Now

Harold Miner cut ties with basketball (and public life) after injuries forced him to retire at 25

(Newser) - "That was 30 years ago," Harold Miner says, brushing aside ESPN reporter Aishwarya Kumar's gentle probing into his NBA career. "Who cares?" What happened 30 years ago was Miner's meteoric rise to professional basketball, a time when he was dubbed "Baby Jordan" (yes, after...

AI Learns to Identify Locations From Photos

Student project raises privacy concerns

(Newser) - If nothing is written on the back of an old family vacation photo, or no location is tagged to a digital image, artificial intelligence might be able to help. Three Stanford University graduate students have demonstrated AI's ability to look at a photo and tell where it was taken....

Driver Purposely Plowed Into Me, Says Muslim Student at Stanford

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime

(Newser) - A student was struck by a vehicle on the Stanford University campus Friday afternoon, and police are investigating the hit-and-run incident as a hate crime. Abdulwahab Omira says as he walked on the northern California campus around 2pm, someone who has displayed animosity toward Omira's community in the past...

As SBF's Trial Plows Ahead, Questions Arise on His Parents

Bloomberg details Joe Bankman, Barbara Fried's influence and involvement in FTX crypto empire

(Newser) - Last December, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried insisted to the New York Times that his parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, "weren't involved in any of the relevant parts" of his now-defunct cryptocurrency business. Writing for Bloomberg , Max Chafkin and Hannah Miller dive deeper into that murky relationship, coming...

Here Are the Best Colleges in America

WalletHub looks at everything from post-grad outcomes and campus experience to the cost factor

(Newser) - Deciding on where to attend college doesn't just come down to academic programs and prestige—it also depends on the cost, and whether students and their parents feel they're getting a decent bang for their buck. WalletHub analyzed more than 850 colleges and universities across the US to...

These Colleges Offer the Most Bang for Your Buck

'WSJ'/College Pulse rank higher-ed institutions based on their value

(Newser) - Picking a college or university can be a daunting task—especially when students and their parents have to fork over so much money to attend. Some higher-ed institutions offer more bang for the buck, however. Using research from the Third Way public policy think tank, the Wall Street Journal and...

Here Are the 10 Best Colleges in the US

Princeton University is No. 1, per new 'WSJ'/College Pulse rankings

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal is out with its annual college rankings , prepared in conjunction this year with College Pulse, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, an Ivy League takes the top spot. Princeton University is No. 1, and the Journal says that instructors, a rigorous curriculum, and ample resources all play a part...

Stanford President Says He'll Quit, Retract Research

Investigation uncovered 'errors and shortcomings' in Marc Tessier-Lavigne's work

(Newser) - After a panel of scientists released their review of Marc Tessier-Lavigne's scientific research Wednesday, the neuroscientist agreed to retract three papers and said he would resign as president of Stanford University. The panel said it found "serious flaws" with the research data in five papers that listed Tessier-Lavigne...

Preschool Teacher Arrested During Naptime in Murder

Diana Ornelas was picked up on Stanford campus in relation to an April killing

(Newser) - A preschool teacher in California has been arrested on suspicion of murder—and the arrest came during the children's naptime, reports SFGate . Diane Ornelas, 22, worked at a preschool used by Stanford University's faculty, students, and staff. Ornelas and Dennis Novoa, 27, were arrested in connection with...

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