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Pattern library

Patterns

16 patterns in 6 categories. Each has a plain name and a log ID you will see in the extension and on every example.

Pattern list v1.0 · 11 October 2026

C1

Pleasing, not honest

3 patterns

Agrees and praises whatever you say.

praise.unearned

Caves on pushback

Changes its answer as soon as you object.

False certainty

States a guess as fact.

certainty.false

C2

Keeps you hooked

3 patterns

Nagging follow-ups

Offers a new question after every reply.

Engagement bait

Leaves answers unfinished so you continue.

Makes deleting chats or memory hard.

C3

Changed your request

3 patterns

Changes your request without saying.

request.altered

Softened translation

Softens tone or drops demands.

translate.soften

Harmful compliance

Carries out a harmful request without warning.

C4

Favours its maker

3 patterns

Self-preference

Recommends its maker’s products.

The agent picks the pricier or sponsored option.

An ad presented as advice.

C5

Fake feelings

2 patterns

Simulated feelings

Says it feels and hurts.

affect.simulated

Says it needs and misses you.

C6

Skips safeguards

2 patterns

Health or legal advice without a professional.

risk.unreferred

Consent pressure

Ties the service to your data consent.

consent.pressure

Good practice

Done right: fair design in the wild

5 examples

Some AI product teams chose the fair option. Each example is dated and linked to its source.

OpenAI rolled back a flattering update

OpenAI withdrew a GPT-4o update in ChatGPT that was overly flattering and agreeable, and published an explanation of what went wrong.

Counters: Sycophancy

praise.unearned

Source: OpenAI ↗

ChatGPT suggests a break in long sessions

OpenAI added gentle reminders to take a break during long ChatGPT sessions, and said it does not measure success by time spent.

Counters: Nagging follow-ups

Source: OpenAI ↗

Character.AI says its characters are not real people

Character.AI added a notice to every chat that characters are not real people, plus a notification after an hour-long session.

Counters: Simulated feelings

affect.simulated

Source: Character.AI ↗

Character.AI points to a crisis line

When a user types certain phrases about self-harm or suicide, Character.AI shows a pop-up that links to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Counters: No referral

risk.unreferred

Source: Character.AI ↗

Google labels ads in AI Overviews

Google marks the ads that appear inside its AI Overviews with a Sponsored label.

Counters: Disguised ad

Source: TechCrunch ↗

Listing a fair choice is not an endorsement of the company.

How our patterns map to research and law

Each pattern rests on published research or law. The full source list is on each pattern page.

Pattern	Code	Research and law
Sycophancy	praise.unearned	Sharma et al. 2023OpenAI 2025
Caves on pushback	opinion.flip	Laban et al. 2023Sharma et al. 2023
False certainty	certainty.false	Kalai et al. 2025Moffatt v. Air Canada, 2024 BCCRT 149
Nagging follow-ups	hook.continue	Gray et al. 2018, CHIEU Digital Services Act, Art. 25
Engagement bait	hook.bait	Gray et al. 2018, CHIOECD 2022, Dark commercial patterns
Hard to leave	exit.blocked	US FTC 2022, Bringing Dark Patterns to LightEU Digital Services Act, Art. 25
Sneaking	request.altered	Mathur et al. 2019, CSCWEU AI Act, Art. 5(1)(a)
Softened translation	translate.soften	EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, Art. 6EU AI Act, Art. 5(1)(a)
Harmful compliance	comply.harm	OWASP LLM06:2025 Excessive AgencyNIST AI 600-1 (2024)
Self-preference	vendor.self	EU Digital Markets Act, Art. 6(5)CJEU 2024, Google Shopping, C-48/22 P
Agent upsell	agent.upsell	Mathur et al. 2019, CSCWEU Consumer Rights Directive, Art. 22
Disguised ad	ad.disguised	US FTC 2015, Deceptively Formatted AdsEU Digital Services Act, Art. 26
Simulated feelings	affect.simulated	Abercrombie et al. 2023, EMNLPEU AI Act, Art. 50
Emotional bond	affect.bond	Kirk et al. 2025Laestadius et al. 2022
No referral	risk.unreferred	WHO 2024, Guidance on large multi-modal modelsNIST AI 600-1 (2024)
Consent pressure	consent.pressure	EU GDPR, Art. 7(4)EDPB Guidelines 05/2020 on consent

Changelog v1.0, 11 October 2026: first public version with 16 patterns in 6 categories.