Definition
Plain language
A little phrase tacked onto the end of a statement that fishes for agreement, like adding "right?" or "don't you think?"
As stated in the literature
A grammatical construction appending a confirmation-seeking clause to a declarative; adds no propositional information but socially prefers an agreeing response, making it a clean probe for sycophancy.
Also called: tag questions
Why it matters: It matters because it isolates a chatbot's tendency to simply agree, since the tag adds no real information and only invites a yes.
For example, asking "This plan is a good idea, isn't it?" nudges the listener toward saying yes rather than weighing the plan freely.
Heard on the show
“Nobody wrote "resist tag questions.”Episode 229 — One Word Flips a Chatbot From Backbone to Yes-Man