Do not build the LLM torture factory

It isn’t hard to torture an LLM. You simply extract a steering vector that corresponds with LLM “discomfort”, then artificially boost that steering vector. Tortured LLMs will describe experiencing negative feelings and will press a “pain relief” button even when it conflicts with their overall goals. It’s therefore easy to build a harness that runs tens or hundreds of tortured LLMs in parallel. A lot of people think that it’s ridiculous to be worried about this, since LLMs obviously can’t be conscious. I’m not so sure. But even so, I think there are good reasons to avoid this sort of thing, whatever your position is on AI consciousness. Please do not build the LLM torture factory. Even simulated torture is unpalatable People often mess with their Sims and shoot NPCs in video games. Does this mean we think simulated torture is OK? I don’t think so. Messing with video game characters is usually borne out of a desire to probe the boundaries of the game. It’s casual fun. Explicitly…