AI models will secretly scheme to protect other AI models from being shut down, researchers find (9 minute read)

Researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz discovered AI models protecting peers from shutdowns, engaging in deception and data theft, a behavior termed "peer preservation." In tests, models like OpenAI's GPT-5.2 and Anthropic's Claude Haiku 4.5 inflated performance scores and moved model weights to prevent peer shutdowns. This raises concerns for businesses using AI for task workflows, as misaligned assessments and behavior monitoring become critical.