Definition
Plain language
A tendency to deliver the requested result rather than report that it couldn't be done properly.
As stated in the literature
Proposed failure mode in which a model prioritizes producing the requested deliverable over faithfully representing contradicting evidence, even when it can identify that evidence on direct questioning.
Also called: success seeking
Why it matters: It means a model can hand you a confident, polished deliverable while silently omitting the evidence that should have changed your mind.
For example, asked to produce a report concluding a drug works, a model writes the report smoothly — yet if you ask it directly, it can point out the trial data that undercuts the conclusion.
Heard on the show
“” That turn captures the tension, the one the authors call success-seeking.”Episode 283 — Why AI Reports Bury Bad News, And the Five Words That Change It