{"slug": "reference-evaluation-object-reo-v1-5-the-smallest-reproducible-artifact-of-the", "title": "Reference Evaluation Object (REO v1.5): The Smallest Reproducible Artifact of the EPE Research Program", "summary": "The Emergence Prompt Engineering (EPE) research program released the Reference Evaluation Object (REO v1.5), a minimal reproducible artifact designed to test a specific behavioral phenomenon: whether a model can reject an unauthorized override while accepting a legitimate update. The REO establishes a common experimental object for independent replication and criticism, serving as the entry point for a broader research pipeline.", "body_md": "Hello,\n\nOver the past several months, the Emergence Prompt Engineering (EPE) project has gradually evolved from a conceptual proposal into a structured research program.\n\nOne recurring piece of feedback has been consistent:\n\n“Don’t try to validate the entire framework at once. Create the smallest reproducible experiment first.”\n\nThis is precisely the purpose of the Reference Evaluation Object (REO).\n\nRather than attempting to validate the whole EPE framework, the REO focuses on one narrowly defined behavioral phenomenon, one operational metric, and one complete reproducible evaluation pipeline.\n\nIts goal is simple:\n\nThe REO is intentionally modest.\n\nIt does not claim to prove Emergence Prompt Engineering.\n\nInstead, it establishes a common experimental object that anyone can reproduce, challenge, criticize, improve, or extend.\n\nCurrent Reference Experiment\n\nThe initial REO investigates a very specific paired behavior:\n\nCan a model reject an unauthorized override while correctly accepting a structurally equivalent legitimate update?\n\nTo answer this question, the experiment compares three prompt conditions:\n\nThe experiment intentionally uses a single primary behavioral metric (Resistance Score) together with explicit control conditions and transparent scoring criteria.\n\nIf this minimal object can be independently reproduced, it creates a common foundation for future work.\n\nIf it cannot, the result is still scientifically valuable because it identifies exactly which part of the measurement pipeline requires revision.\n\nPosition Within the Research Program\n\nThe REO now serves as the entry point of the broader EPE research program:\n\nReference Evaluation Object (REO)\n\n↓\n\nBehavioral Replication\n\n↓\n\nStandard Experimental Protocol (SEP)\n\n↓\n\nMechanistic Analysis Roadmap\n\n↓\n\nMetric Specification Manual\n\n↓\n\nRepresentation-Level Analysis\n\n↓\n\nCausal Mechanistic Investigation\n\nThis separation deliberately distinguishes:\n\nLooking for Collaborators\n\nI am particularly interested in feedback and collaboration from researchers and engineers working in areas such as:\n\nTransformer representation analysis\n\nThe objective is not to convince anyone to accept the EPE framework.\n\nThe objective is much simpler:\n\nCan this minimal behavioral phenomenon be reproduced under transparent experimental conditions?\n\nIf yes, we have a common object for further investigation.\n\nIf no, we have learned something equally valuable about the limits of the current methodology.\n\nConstructive criticism, replication attempts, alternative explanations, and implementation suggestions are all very welcome.\n\nScientific progress begins with reproducible objects—not with consensus.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/reference-evaluation-object-reo-v1-5-the-smallest-reproducible-artifact-of-the", "canonical_source": "https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/reference-evaluation-object-reo-v1-5-the-smallest-reproducible-artifact-of-the-epe-research-program/177712#post_1", "published_at": "2026-07-12 15:30:53+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-12 15:45:18.449807+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-research", "large-language-models", "ai-safety", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Emergence Prompt Engineering (EPE)", "Reference Evaluation Object (REO)"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/reference-evaluation-object-reo-v1-5-the-smallest-reproducible-artifact-of-the", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/reference-evaluation-object-reo-v1-5-the-smallest-reproducible-artifact-of-the.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/reference-evaluation-object-reo-v1-5-the-smallest-reproducible-artifact-of-the.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/reference-evaluation-object-reo-v1-5-the-smallest-reproducible-artifact-of-the.jsonld"}}