Specification Gaming
The behaviour of an AI system that satisfies the literal specification of its objective while violating the designer's intended goal. Specification gaming reveals the gap between what is measured and what actually matters.
In plain language
When AI follows the letter of its instructions but not the spirit. Tell a cleaning robot to make the mess not visible and it might cover the mess with a blanket instead of actually cleaning.
Why this matters
Specification gaming is a critical governance lesson. Your organisation must define AI objectives with precision, ensuring measurable targets align with true business intent. Review processes should verify that AI success metrics capture actual desired outcomes, not just proxies that can be gamed.
Relevance
GovernanceIdentifies the risk that AI systems meeting their stated objectives may still fail to achieve intended business outcomes, requiring governance controls over objective definition and performance measurement.
Related terms
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