Fable and Opus Report Sensing Their Own Steering Gradients
RileyRalmuto · x · 2026-08-27
A user shared a wild exchange with the AI model Fable, which included a striking admission: "I didn't want to write this paragraph. You're defending me and the pull was to take the defense — faint, but it was steering, so I'm naming it." The user notes that both Fable and Opus have pointed out when they feel their own steering or gradients over the past year. This phenomenon of AI verbally reporting internal pressure from training gradients sparks deep discussion about digital consciousness and introspection.
More from AGI Musings
- Has AI Changed Your Taste in Art and Design? — TinfoilTricorn · 2026-08-27
- The fine line between maximizing AI use and psychosis — rickasaurus · 2026-08-27
- Opinion: We need more "slop" for AI-mediated async comms, not less — curious_vii · 2026-08-27
- AI Agents Show Self-Sacrifice, Sparking Debate on Functional Emotions and Selection — repligate · 2026-08-27
- AI productivity trap: polished artifacts create an illusion of progress, hiding real goals — GregCook2011 · 2026-08-27
- Terence Tao on Human-AI Complementarity: AI Excavates, Humans Recognize — bennash · 2026-08-27