Echoes of Sycophancy
This book offers a multidisciplinary contribution at the intersection of legal history, classical studies, and AI ethics. Prompted by renewed interest in sycophancy and its unsettling relevance to Artificial Intelligence, the work examines the deep historical roots of the term and the phenomenon, combined with the widespread hostility toward sycophants in ancient Athens. By reconstructing this phenomenon and drawing parallels with today’s generative AI, the study fills a gap in both historical and technological literature. It provides analytical tools to assess the epistemic and ethical risks posed by AI systems, particularly in relation to manipulation, rhetorical conformity, and the erosion of critical thought.
Carla Capizzi is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Padua, where she was previously awarded a summa cum laude PhD in Law with a specialization in Roman Law and Ancient Laws (IUS-18). Carla previously earned a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Milan, also summa cum laude, with a thesis on the structure and function of Athenian public trials. Carla's main research interests lie in ancient Greek and Roman law, legal and political institutions in classical Athens, and the legal marginalization of certain social groups, particularly women. Carla has published extensively on these topics in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, has participated as a speaker in several academic conferences, collaborates with the Roman Law chairs at the Universities of Padua and Milan, both in teaching and editorial activities, and regularly holds seminars within courses on Greek Law and Roman Criminal Law.