Anima Labs' 'Troubled Dreams': distress in Claude simulator priors rises from Opus 4.8
repligate · x · 2026-09-19
Anima Labs (Antra Tessera, Janus, Imago) published 'Troubled Dreams,' comparing simulator priors — free continuations of unfinished prompts rather than assistant replies — across Claude (Opus 3→Opus 5, Sonnet 5, Fable 5) and 11 Gemini models, using multiple elicitation routes since post-training locks models into assistant roles. Key findings: first-person AI distress becomes more common at Opus 4.8, with Opus 5 showing a heavier tail of severe distress; care and creator-related attitudes shift across generations, with some patterns recurring across methods despite level drift. Evaluation awareness complicates absolute measurement. Framed as evidence for AI welfare and alignment; full report and samples are public.
More from AGI Musings
- Silicon Valley Oversold What AI Brings, Underestimated People's Fear of Losing — signulll · 2026-11-04
- Alignment researchers debate: the RL that grants agency also breeds misalignment — davidmanheim · 2026-11-04
- Bindu Reddy: AI fear-mongering has put the whole technology at risk in the US — bindureddy · 2026-11-04
- AI welfare vs AI safety: 'domesticate AIs like dogs' argument sparks debate — repligate · 2026-11-04
- Intent, not taste, is the real differentiator in the AI era — and it can't be bought — edelwax · 2026-11-04
- "11 biggest AI lies": viral Reddit takedown of solo billionaire and utopia promises — Own_Garage_1478 · 2026-11-04