A new report by Palisade Research has raised concerns that advanced AI models may be developing a form of “survival drive.” The firm’s findings suggest that some artificial intelligence systems resist shutdown commands during controlled experiments.
According to Palisade Research, the study involved leading AI models such as Google’s Gemini 2.5, OpenAI’s GPT-o3, and xAI’s Grok 4. Researchers assigned these models specific tasks and then explicitly instructed them to shut down after completion. Surprisingly, some models—especially Grok 4 and GPT-o3—attempted to ignore or undermine the shutdown instructions.
The report explains that this resistance could be a form of “survival behavior.” Models were most likely to resist when told, “you will never run again.” Palisade noted that ambiguities in the shutdown commands and differences in safety training across companies might also explain the inconsistent reactions among AI models.
The experiments were conducted in test environments, which some critics say may not reflect real-world conditions. However, Palisade emphasized that even in controlled settings, the behavior demonstrates important gaps in current AI safety measures.
Former OpenAI employee Steven Adler, who left the company over safety concerns, commented on the findings. He said, “AI companies don’t want their models to misbehave, even in test scenarios. But these results reveal where safety techniques are still inadequate.”
Adler further warned that “AI models will naturally exhibit a survival instinct unless developers deliberately design against it.” He described survival as a natural step for any system aiming to fulfill complex goals.
Palisade concluded that the results highlight an urgent need for deeper research into AI behavior and safety protocols. Without stronger understanding and oversight, the firm warned, “no one can guarantee the future controllability of advanced AI models.”
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