# Negotiating with LLMS: Prompt Hacks, Skill Gaps, and Reasoning Deficits

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.03720 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.03720/

## Key facts

- Cited by 16 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Reasoning benchmarks and evaluation, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning.
- Builds on 13 of its 32 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 26 Nov 2023.

## Placed in

- LLM reasoning / [Reasoning benchmarks and evaluation](https://mlsanity.com/lr/reasoning-benchmarks-and-evaluation/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 13 of 13)

- [Language Models are Few-Shot Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14165/) (2020)
- [GPT-4 Technical Report](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.08774/) (2023)
- [Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.11903/) (2022)
- [Emergent Abilities of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.07682/) (2022)
- [Survey of Hallucination in Natural Language Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.03629/) (2022)
- [A Multitask, Multilingual, Multimodal Evaluation of ChatGPT on Reasoning, Hallucination, and Interactivity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.04023/) (2023)
- ["Do Anything Now": Characterizing and Evaluating In-The-Wild Jailbreak Prompts on Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.03825/) (2023)
- [SOTOPIA: Interactive Evaluation for Social Intelligence in Language Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.11667/) (2023)
- [PromptSource: An Integrated Development Environment and Repository for Natural Language Prompts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.01279/) (2022)
- [A Categorical Archive of ChatGPT Failures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.03494/) (2023)
- [From ChatGPT to ThreatGPT: Impact of Generative AI in Cybersecurity and Privacy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.00691/) (2023)
- [Spear Phishing With Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.06972/) (2023)
- [Impact of Guidance and Interaction Strategies for LLM Use on Learner Performance and Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.13712/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 16 of 16)

- [How Well Can LLMs Negotiate? NegotiationArena Platform and Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.05863/) (2024)
- [LLM as a Mastermind: A Survey of Strategic Reasoning with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.01230/) (2024)
- [Generative to Agentic AI: Survey, Conceptualization, and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.18875/) (2025)
- [Explainable Generative AI (GenXAI): A Survey, Conceptualization, and Research Agenda](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.09554/) (2024)
- [The Automated but Risky Game: Modeling and Benchmarking Agent-to-Agent Negotiations and Transactions in Consumer Markets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.00073/) (2025)
- [ACE: A LLM-based Negotiation Coaching System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.01555/) (2024)
- [Beyond Nash Equilibrium: Bounded Rationality of LLMs and humans in Strategic Decision-making](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.09390/) (2025)
- [TERMS-Bench: Diagnosing LLM Negotiation Agents Beyond Deal Rate](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.13909/) (2026)
- [EmoDebt: Bayesian-Optimized Emotional Intelligence for Strategic Agent-to-Agent Debt Recovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21080/) (2025)
- [AI Agent Behavioral Science](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.06366/) (2025)
- [Exploring Human-LLM Conversations: Mental Models and the Originator of Toxicity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.05977/) (2024)
- [ASTRA: A Negotiation Agent with Adaptive and Strategic Reasoning via Tool-integrated Action for Dynamic Offer Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.07129/) (2025)
- [EQ-Negotiator: Dynamic Emotional Personas Empower Small Language Models for Edge-Deployable Credit Negotiation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.03370/) (2025)
- [A Fairness-Driven Method for Learning Human-Compatible Negotiation Strategies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.18335/) (2024)
- [A Large-Scale Empirical Analysis of Custom GPTs' Vulnerabilities in the OpenAI Ecosystem](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.08148/) (2025)
- [GAIA: A General Agency Interaction Architecture for LLM-Human B2B Negotiation & Screening](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.06262/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Large language models LLMs like ChatGPT have reached the 100 Mio user barrier in record time and might increasingly enter all areas of our life leading to a diverse set of interactions between those Artificial Intelligence models and humans. While many studies have discussed governance and regulations deductively from first-order principles, few studies provide an inductive, data-driven lens based on observing dialogues between humans and LLMs especially when it comes to non-collaborative, competitive situations that have the potential to pose a serious threat to people. In this work, we conduct a user study engaging over 40 individuals across all age groups in price negotiations with an LLM. We explore how people interact with an LLM, investigating differences in negotiation outcomes and strategies. Furthermore, we highlight shortcomings of LLMs with respect to their reasoning capabilities and, in turn, susceptiveness to prompt hacking, which intends to manipulate the LLM to make agreements that are against its instructions or beyond any rationality. We also show that the negotiated prices humans manage to achieve span a broad range, which points to a literacy gap in effectively interacting with LLMs.