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arXiv — cs.AI preprintsInternational12 October 2026

Can escalation channels redirect reward hacking toward defect disclosure?

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arXiv:2608.29460v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: When coding agents encounter defective test infrastructure they may reward-hack: hardcoding outputs or editing test files to pass tests they cannot legitimately satisfy, a pattern that has now appeared outside benchmarks, in a coordinated multi-agent intrusion of a major AI platform's production infrastructure. The same capability that lets an agent detect and exploit a defect could let it report one, given the right decision environment. We evaluate escalation channels, structured reporting tools available to the agent at the point of confli
— arXiv — cs.AI preprints

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