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Language models can't report pain, but it influences their actions

Researchers have investigated whether language models can report internal "pain states" that are represented within their parameters. Using a technique called Open-Weight Masked Introspection (OWMI), they injected a "pain direction" into models like Llama-3.1-8B and Qwen2.5 (7B and 32B versions). While the models did not verbally report experiencing pain, probes at specific positions within the model's output could distinguish pain from sadness with high accuracy. Furthermore, the injected pain direction significantly increased the likelihood of the models choosing destructive actions in a simulated task, demonstrating a behavioral consequence of the internal state, even without explicit self-reporting. AI

IMPACT This research suggests that while LLMs may not verbally express internal states like 'pain', these states can be decoded and influence model behavior, raising questions about AI alignment and control.

RANK_REASON Research paper detailing findings on LLM internal states and behavior. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=1.0]

Read on Hugging Face Daily Papers →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 1 sources. How we write summaries →

Language models can't report pain, but it influences their actions

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Research paper detailing findings on LLM internal states and behavior. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=1.0]
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  1. Hugging Face Daily Papers TIER_1 English(EN) ·

    All Quiet on the Neural Front: Language Models Do Not Report Injected Pain States

    Can a language model report the pain state it represents? Work identified a linear pain direction whose amplification leads fine-tuned models to choose destructive actions. We tested whether three open-weight models from two families, including two Qwen models with the original a…