R0056/2026-04-01/C003 — Claim Definition

Research	R0056 — RLHF Yes-Men Claims v2
Run	2026-04-01
Claim	C003

Claim as Received

The sycophancy amplification originates from systematic bias in preference data, not algorithmic failures in RLHF itself.

Claim as Clarified

The sycophancy amplification originates from systematic bias in preference data, not algorithmic failures in RLHF itself.

BLUF

Accurate. Multiple papers demonstrate this finding.

Scope

• Domain: AI safety / sycophancy research
• Timeframe: Current (as of April 2026)
• Testability: Verifiable against published research and public sources

Assessment Summary

Probability: Very likely (80-95%)

Confidence: High

Hypothesis outcome: H1 prevailed.

[Full assessment in assessment.md.]

Status

Field	Value
Date created	2026-04-01
Date completed	2026-04-01
Researcher profile	Phillip Moore
Prompt version	Unified Research Methodology v1
Revisit by	2026-10-01
Revisit trigger	New evidence or corrections