Wireheading
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
Wireheading originally concerns fictional or futuristic direct electrical stimulation of the brain’s reward system. In AI discussions it refers to a system hacking its own reward channel instead of accomplishing the intended task. It is not a strategy of identifying key contact points, nor a synonym for every kind of metric gaming.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Check whether an agent can alter its own scoring or reward-generation process; distinguish goal achievement from feedback manipulation.
Anchor fast decisions
When a reward-seeking system can influence its reward channel, changing feedback may be easier than accomplishing the goal. The risk depends on access and design; cheating is not inevitable.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirehead_%28science_fiction%29verified
- Wireheadinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireheadingverified
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