I think this is more insecurity. Is it possible that sycophancy is a cause of insecurity, like deep down people can tell if an idea has been battle tested?

I dont know if that would even matter because it’s not like AI is whispering to people about how good it is. There’s some cult like quality, like with blockchain or whatever, people want to be part of what they think is a major societal revolution, and anything that challenges their world view really shakes them. Presumably they say the same thing about no-coiners or denialists or whatever the AI equivalent is.