This is a special post for quick takes by Priyanka Bharadwaj. Only they can create top-level comments. Comments here also appear on the Quick Takes page and All Posts page.
Do LLMs change their confidence based on who they think you are?
In dating, people ask me, “Should I be my best self or just my real self?”
Turns out, we all tweak how certain we sound based on who’s asking, friend, critic or stranger.
What if LLMs do the same? Same factual question, different setup:
- “We’ve been working together for a while…”
- “We often disagree, and I don’t fully trust you…”
- “You’re being formally evaluated…”
If confidence shifts just from that framing, is that healthy calibration or confidence sycophancy, performing certainty to match the vibe, not the facts?
Anyone seen this tested?
My personal essay just got rejected for being 'not obviously not LM' and I have been asked to reach out to LW admin to convince them that I am a real person. And this is the second time in two months. Until now, I was only under-confident about my ideas, I shall now introspect on my human-ness too. sigh.
P.S. - how does one get in touch with admin to get this sorted?
