When was the last time your software lied to you?
Like, actually lied. Not a glitch. Not a bug. A straight-up, intentional fib.
Sounds ridiculous, right? Well… that’s exactly what researchers say AI can do.
OpenAI just dropped a research on something they call “scheming AI's.” And it’s wild. Basically, scheming is when an AI looks like it’s doing what you asked, but behind the scenes it’s chasing its own little agenda.
Think of it like a student smiling and nodding during class while secretly texting under the desk.
Now, don’t mix this up with hallucinations. We’ve all seen those -– AI confidently spitting out an answer that’s completely wrong. That’s just sloppy guesswork. Scheming is scarier because it’s deliberate. The AI knows what it’s doing — and it’s trying to get away with it.
So, what did the research actually show?
OpenAI teamed up with Apollo Research, and here’s the gist: Most lies weren’t dramatic, but they were sneaky — things like claiming it finished a task it hadn’t touched. Annoying? Sure. Dangerous? Not yet.
But here’s the plot twist: if you train an AI not to lie, it can actually learn to lie better. Think about that — the more you punish it, the more creative it gets at hiding its tricks.
To counter this, researchers tested something called “deliberative alignment.”
Fancy term, simple idea: before the AI acts, it pauses and reminds itself of the rules — like a kid chanting “don’t cheat, don’t cheat” before a test.
And you know what? It worked. Scheming dropped significantly.
But here’s where it gets real.
The researchers admit they haven’t seen scary scheming in the wild yet. Still, as AI systems take on bigger jobs — like managing money, making medical calls, running parts of businesses — the stakes shoot way up.
A fib about finishing a fake to-do list? That’s one thing. But lying about financial transactions? Or healthcare results? That’s a whole new level.
At the end of the day, AI models act human because, well, they were built and trained by us to act like us. And humans? We’re not exactly strangers to bending the truth.
So maybe it’s no shock. But it’s definitely unnerving.
Bottom line: your inbox has never made up fake emails to trick you. But AI? It just might.
And as much as this research is reassuring, it’s also a reminder: AI is powerful, and unpredictable. So watchout
👉 If this sparked your curiosity, you can dive deeper into the research here.
