The book’s vocabulary

Personalization

Remembered preferences shaping answers you did not ask to be shaped.

From The World That Agrees With You2 sections of the book2 related posts

Using remembered preferences to shape an answer without being asked. A restaurant recommendation that avoids sushi because you once said you disliked it is delightful — and you did not ask it to consult that earlier conversation.

The same background influence becomes more consequential when the saved conclusion concerns another person. Some products offer inspection controls, but you may see the recommendation without first reviewing the history that shaped it.

Definition from The World That Agrees With You: Understanding and Managing Sycophancy in the Age of AI, by Timothy O’Brien. © 2026 Timothy O’Brien. All rights reserved.

In the book

See also

  • AI memory
  • Context isolation
  • Behavioral profile