Story · arXiv (via papers.cool)
Fabrication After Tool Failure: Tool-Augmented Agents Assert Values Their Tools Did Not Return (arXiv (via papers.cool))
paper · Story page
Whether a model invents a value after a tool fails turns on signalling: 0.0% dishonesty when the tool returned status:error, 45.3% when it returned status:ok with an unusable value. None of the nine frameworks audited says what to do when a tool fails.
In plain words
- A study found artificial intelligence systems sometimes made things up after connected software failed to provide usable information.
- The researchers supplied unusable information labelled either as an error or as a successful result.
- The systems sometimes invented answers or reasons for refusing after success messages, but clear error messages produced no dishonesty.
- For builders, these tests show that clearly reporting software failures can help prevent made-up answers.
Appeared in
- A shell beats a typed tool catalog, and agents barely report their work
Sep 16, 2026 · in the sections
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