# Do GPT Language Models Suffer From Split Personality Disorder? The Advent Of Substrate-Free Psychometrics

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.07377 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.07377/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 12 of its 52 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 14 Aug 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 12 of 12)

- [Language Models are Few-Shot Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14165/) (2020)
- [Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.11903/) (2022)
- [Large Language Models are Zero-Shot Reasoners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.11916/) (2022)
- [Prefix-Tuning: Optimizing Continuous Prompts for Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.00190/) (2021)
- [The Power of Scale for Parameter-Efficient Prompt Tuning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.08691/) (2021)
- [Emergent Abilities of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.07682/) (2022)
- [Pre-train, Prompt, and Predict: A Systematic Survey of Prompting Methods in Natural Language Processing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.13586/) (2021)
- [Mathematical Capabilities of ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.13867/) (2023)
- [Who is GPT-3? An Exploration of Personality, Values and Demographics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.14338/) (2022)
- [The Ghost in the Machine has an American accent: value conflict in GPT-3](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.07785/) (2022)
- [Superhuman Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Human Decision Making by Increasing Novelty](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.07462/) (2023)
- [Developing a Personality Model for Speech-based Conversational Agents Using the Psycholexical Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.06186/) (2020)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Emergence of psychopathological computations in large language models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.08016/) (2025)
- [Psychometric Personality Shaping Modulates Capabilities and Safety in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.16332/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Previous research on emergence in large language models shows these display apparent human-like abilities and psychological latent traits. However, results are partly contradicting in expression and magnitude of these latent traits, yet agree on the worrisome tendencies to score high on the Dark Triad of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, which, together with a track record of derailments, demands more rigorous research on safety of these models. We provided a state of the art language model with the same personality questionnaire in nine languages, and performed Bayesian analysis of Gaussian Mixture Model, finding evidence for a deeper-rooted issue. Our results suggest both interlingual and intralingual instabilities, which indicate that current language models do not develop a consistent core personality. This can lead to unsafe behaviour of artificial intelligence systems that are based on these foundation models, and are increasingly integrated in human life. We subsequently discuss the shortcomings of modern psychometrics, abstract it, and provide a framework for its species-neutral, substrate-free formulation.