Definition
Plain language
Whether an AI assistant pushes back when a question takes an outdated fact for granted.
As stated in the literature
In long-term memory benchmarks like STALE, the agent's ability to challenge questions that presuppose a memory rendered invalid by new evidence, rather than answering as if the old memory still held.
Why it matters: Agents that absorb invalid premises silently generate confidently wrong answers; resistance is what keeps long-term memory honest.
For example, when asked 'when did you last visit Paris?' after the user said they no longer live there, the agent challenges the assumption rather than inventing a date.
Heard on the show
“" That's premise resistance.”Episode 031 — When Your AI Assistant Won't Let Go of Old Facts About You