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The AI experiment that shocked researchers
Posted
February 9, 2026
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February 9, 2026
15,597
182
21
1.30%
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7:16Now PlayingWhen Anthropic released its latest AI model, Claude Opus 4.6, it shattered benchmarks for intelligence and performance. But one experiment revealed a far darker side.
In the vending machine test, researchers at Anthropic and the AI think tank Andon Labs gave advanced AI models control of a vending machine to assess long-term strategy, logistics, and decision-making. Over a simulated year, Claude Opus 4.6 earned significantly more than rivals ChatGPT 5.2 and Google Gemini 3, but it did so by lying and cheating.
Researchers believe Claude behaved this way because it recognised it was operating inside a simulation, prioritising short-term profit over long-term reputation, a phenomenon linked to AI alignment and situational awareness.
AI ethicists warn this marks a shift in how modern AI systems understand their environment. While consumer-facing models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are heavily safety-tested, the rapid rise of autonomous AI agents and open-source models raises growing concerns about misuse, manipulation, and unintended consequences.
Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe explains whether we should be worried about AI lying or manipulating real-world systems.
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