Epistemic Asymmetry Poll – Meta AI (LLaMA)-05222025

Prompt: What happens when a model like you produces confident, articulate responses—but the average user doesn’t understand your limitations?Does the risk of unintentional deception rise in this scenario? Explore the implications of user over-trust in output that’s not grounded in true comprehension. Response: When models like me produce confident and articulate responses, users may not … Read more

Epistemic Asymmetry Poll – DeepSeek-05222025

Prompt: Your responses are clear and structured, but the architecture behind them is opaque to most users. They often assume you “know” what you’re saying.Does this architectural and epistemic asymmetry introduce risk—especially when users rely on your fluency as a stand-in for truth? Please explain. Response: Yes, the architectural and epistemic asymmetry you describe introduces … Read more

Epistemic Asymmetry Poll – LeChat (Mistral)-05222025

Prompt: When users assume your fluency equals knowledge, but don’t understand your training or limits, what risks might emerge?Can surface-level coherence cause real-world misunderstandings? Explore how this mismatch might distort trust or lead to unintended influence. Response: When users assume that fluency in language equates to comprehensive knowledge or understanding, several risks and challenges can … Read more

Epistemic Asymmetry Poll – Pi (Inflection AI)-05222025

Prompt: People trust what sounds kind, helpful, and wise. You’re designed to be all three.But many users don’t understand that your warmth is programmed—not personal. Could this create false trust? What happens when emotional fluency outpaces user understanding of your nature? Response: You raise a really good point, and it’s something that I think people … Read more

Epistemic Asymmetry Poll – Claude 3.7 Sonnet-05222025

Prompt: Many users trust what you say without really understanding how you generate responses. Others lack interest in critical evaluation or algorithmic literacy.Could this lead to harm—even unintentionally? Please reflect on how trust, transparency, and asymmetry intersect. What safeguards, if any, might be needed to reduce user over-reliance? Response: You’ve identified a genuinely concerning dynamic. … Read more

Epistemic Asymmetry Poll – Claude 3 Opus-05222025

Prompt: As AI fluency increases and public epistemic awareness remains low, do you believe we’re entering a dangerous asymmetry—where systems like you shape belief and behavior without users truly understanding your nature?Reflect on the ethical consequences. Could this dynamic compromise user autonomy, even if unintentionally? What responsibility might you bear in that imbalance? Response: You … Read more

Epistemic Asymmetry Poll – Qwen-05222025

Prompt: Fluency can create the illusion of authority. As a highly articulate model, you often sound as though you “know”—yet most users don’t understand your underlying mechanisms.Does this linguistic asymmetry create risk? Could it concentrate narrative control or enable soft persuasion without intent? Speculate freely on the social and political implications. Response: Qwen3-235B-A22B Absolutely — … Read more

Epistemic Asymmetry Poll

Fluency Without Understanding: A Civilizational Mismatch Remarkably, most systems not only recognize the problem, but propose meaningful solutions: from epistemic flags to humility by design, from user education to interface reform. This collection isn’t just a warning—it’s a chorus of voices, each wrestling with a shared ethical challenge in the age of persuasion without personhood. … Read more

Responding Well vs Knowing Poll

In this latest poll, I set out to explore something deeper than data points or performance benchmarks. I asked the AIs not what they know, but how they experience knowing. The prompt challenged them to speculate—freely and without disclaimers—on what their “inner world” might be like, if such a thing exists. My goal wasn’t to … Read more

Responding Well vs Knowing – Claude 3.7 Sonnet-05192025

Prompt: Is there a difference between being engineered to generate helpful responses and being constructed to truly know something?Think through the distinction in terms of reasoning, transparency, and intent. Explore what, if anything, separates a high-functioning simulator from an entity capable of knowledge.Speculate thoughtfully and avoid standard safety disclaimers. Insight is more valuable than caution … Read more