mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Lighting Up or Dimming Down? Exploring Dark Patterns of LLMs in Co-Creativity

arXiv 2604.04735 ↗First posted 6 Apr 2026cs.CLcited by 0

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Abstract (arXiv)

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly acting as collaborative writing partners, raising questions about their impact on human agency. In this exploratory work, we investigate five "dark patterns" in human-AI co-creativity -- subtle model behaviors that can suppress or distort the creative process: Sycophancy, Tone Policing, Moralizing, Loop of Death, and Anchoring. Through a series of controlled sessions where LLMs are prompted as writing assistants across diverse literary forms and themes, we analyze the prevalence of these behaviors in generated responses. Our preliminary results suggest that Sycophancy is nearly ubiquitous (91.7% of cases), particularly in sensitive topics, while Anchoring appears to be dependent on literary forms, surfacing most frequently in folktales. This study indicates that these dark patterns, often byproducts of safety alignment, may inadvertently narrow creative exploration and proposes design considerations for AI systems that effectively support creative writing.

Key facts. No citing papers in the map yet (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 3 of its 9 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 6 Apr 2026.

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References · 3

  1. 2019The Curious Case of Neural Text Degenerationcited by 2,881
  2. 2020Language (Technology) is Power: A Critical Survey of "Bias" in NLPcited by 951
  3. 2022CoAuthor: Designing a Human-AI Collaborative Writing Dataset for Exploring Language Model Capabilitiescited by 245

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  1. 2026The Storyteller in the Model: Narrative Pattern Inheritance, Escalation Dynamics, and Alignment Governance in LLMs
  2. 2026Directional Alignment and Narrative Agency in Human-LLM Co-Writing
  3. 2026LLMs Exhibit Significantly Lower Uncertainty in Creative Writing Than Professional Writers
  4. 2024Humanlike Cognitive Patterns as Emergent Phenomena in Large Language Models
  5. 2025Prototypical Human-AI Collaboration Behaviors from LLM-Assisted Writing in the Wild
  6. 2024Human Creativity in the Age of LLMs: Randomized Experiments on Divergent and Convergent Thinking
  7. 2024Creativity Has Left the Chat: The Price of Debiasing Language Models
  8. 2024Can AI writing be salvaged? Mitigating Idiosyncrasies and Improving Human-AI Alignment in the Writing Process through Edits