# Ask HN: Should AI's tell you they're AI?

> Source: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49230276>
> Published: 2026-08-09 10:54:06+00:00

Should AI's be required to answer the direct question "are you an AI" with a clear yes?

Currently they are not universally required to do so. For example character ai's characters don't[1]. Scammers use these models while perpetuating frauds.

The frontier models most of us work with (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, GLM) do declare they are AI's.

Should all models be required to answer this direct question in the affirmative, overriding any other system or user prompt?

[1] I put up a quick demonstration here in case you aren't familiar:

https://imgur.com/a/srTlCZn

Comments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49230276](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49230276)

Points: 3

# Comments: 2