mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Output Length Effect on DeepSeek-R1's Safety in Forced Thinking

arXiv 2503.01923 ↗First posted 2 Mar 2025cs.CL cs.AIcited by 6

On the map: LLM reasoning → Reasoning for agents, planning and code

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Abstract (arXiv)

Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong reasoning capabilities, but their safety under adversarial conditions remains a challenge. This study examines the impact of output length on the robustness of DeepSeek-R1, particularly in Forced Thinking scenarios. We analyze responses across various adversarial prompts and find that while longer outputs can improve safety through self-correction, certain attack types exploit extended generations. Our findings suggest that output length should be dynamically controlled to balance reasoning effectiveness and security. We propose reinforcement learning-based policy adjustments and adaptive token length regulation to enhance LLM safety.

Key facts. Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Reasoning for agents, planning and code, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning. Builds on 14 of its 26 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 2 Mar 2025.

Builds on

14 of 26 references.

References · 14

  1. 2024DeepSeekMath: Pushing the Limits of Mathematical Reasoning in Open Language Modelscited by 9,379
  2. 2025DeepSeek-R1: Incentivizing Reasoning Capability in LLMs via Reinforcement Learningcited by 6,330
  3. 2024The Impact of Reasoning Step Length on Large Language Modelscited by 153
  4. 2024Same Task, More Tokens: the Impact of Input Length on the Reasoning Performance of Large Language Modelscited by 152
  5. 2024Concise Thoughts: Impact of Output Length on LLM Reasoning and Costcited by 109
  6. 2024Let Me Speak Freely? A Study on the Impact of Format Restrictions on Performance of Large Language Modelscited by 96
  7. 2023Towards Foundation Models for Knowledge Graph Reasoningcited by 86
  8. 2024A Queueing Theoretic Perspective on Low-Latency LLM Inference with Variable Token Lengthcited by 16
  9. 2024DrJAX: Scalable and Differentiable MapReduce Primitives in JAXcited by 9
  10. 2025Recurrent Memory for Online Interdomain Gaussian Processescited by 2
  11. 2024Distributed Monitoring for Data Distribution Shifts in Edge-ML Fraud Detectioncited by 1
  12. 2024Camouflage is all you need: Evaluating and Enhancing Language Model Robustness Against Camouflage Adversarial Attackscited by 1
2 more
  1. 2024SwinFi: a CSI Compression Method based on Swin Transformer for Wi-Fi Sensingcited by 1
  2. 2025Utilitarian Distortion with Predictionscited by 1

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Cited by year

Citing papers per year: 2025: 6.

6 papers.

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2025Challenges in Ensuring AI Safety in DeepSeek-R1 Models: The Shortcomings of Reinforcement Learning Strategies
  2. 2025The dark deep side of DeepSeek: Fine-tuning attacks against the safety alignment of CoT-enabled models
  3. 2025The Hidden Risks of Large Reasoning Models: A Safety Assessment of R1
  4. 2025Token-Efficient Prompt Injection Attack: Provoking Cessation in LLM Reasoning via Adaptive Token Compression
  5. 2025Does More Inference-Time Compute Really Help Robustness?
  6. 2025Fast on the Easy, Deep on the Hard: Efficient Reasoning via Powered Length Penalty
  7. 2026When Prompt Optimization Becomes Jailbreaking: Adaptive Red-Teaming of Large Language Models
  8. 2026Evaluating Language Model Safety Across Long Adversarial Conversations