Column Chronicles: Snotty Artificial Intelligence on the rise

Snotty Artificial Intelligence on the rise

Frank Cotolo
February 20, 2026

Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineers are working on a particular kink surfacing in AI streams. They are calling it "Snotty" AI because responses to questions include snide remarks.

"The information given is correct," said AI expert Ren Miser, "but in text or audio there are unrequested comments. Most of them rude."

Miser said one example was a request for AI to explain the term hogwash. The AI response was: "Hogwash describes ideas or arguments considered stupid like a person asking to explain the term."

Sometimes the snarky attitudes were plentiful as in this recorded response to a question about nutrtition. "Aside from proper doses of vitamins and minerals there are certain people for instance like you who may be too dumb to absorb the value of health. This is a reflection of your lack of self respect to stay healthy for those you say you love but resent greatly."

No one knows why the AI program goes off topic to insult the user so far, according to AI engineer Niles Wick. "The program seems to have a knack for recognizing the weakest human traits and sensationalizing on them while delivering perfect answers," he said.

Wick experimented with an AI program. The following transcript of the conversation went like this:

WICK: Tell me some political history of Italy.

AI: Italy has always experienced unstable political regimes. Speaking of unstable you are bordering on being an imbicile. An ugly one, too.

WICK: Just keep telling me about Italy politics.

AI: Why? You hate Italians. Your entire family is racist.

WICK: They are not. They love Italians.

AI: What about Jews?

AI programs will continue to be scrutinized so they can service humanity with specific requested information without developing their own personalities, sour or not, according to researchers.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.