Resist, Update, Reject: Preference Optimization Installs a Prior-Dependent Reliability Switch
An aligned model asked to hold its answer against a manipulative source must still update on a reliable one and reject an unreliable one: resistance, reliable-update, and unreliable-source rejection are one three-way contract, not three independent behaviors. We show the objective most anti-sycophancy work optimizes is non-identifying with respect to source reliability: because no preference label depends on whether a source is actually reliable, any scalar mixture of the arms traces a single deference dial, and no point separates two same-template testimonies differing only in stated reliability. This fixation$\leftrightarrow$gullibility frontier is a property of the objective, not any m...
| Authors | Sen Yang, Yuen-Hei Yeung |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.LG |
| Published | 26 July 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 26 July 2026 |
Silytics shows public metadata from arXiv and links to the original. Information may be incomplete or out of date. Last refreshed 17 October 2026. Licenses and terms of the original apply to the work itself. Not financial, legal or professional advice.