The next Shocklab Seminar will be held online on Wednesday, 15 April 2026 from 16h00 - 17h00 (UTC+2).

Please join us in the Mathematics building for the third talk in our series by the Cooperative AI Research Fellows. Pramod Kaushik from the Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) research institute will present on “Strategic Vagueness in LLMs".

Title: Strategic Vagueness in LLMs
Speaker: Pramod Kaushik
Date: Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Time: 16:00-17:00 (GMT +2)
Venue: Room M304, UCT Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Mathematics Building, 7 University Ave N, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700 
Virtual Meeting Link:  https://bit.ly/shocklab-seminars

 
Abstract: 
This work investigates whether LLMs understand and deploy strategic vagueness, with implications for AI safety. Steven Pinker's theory of indirect speech posits that humans use ambiguous language as a rational strategy when facing audiences with conflicting interests enabling coordination with allies while maintaining plausible deniability against adversaries. We investigate whether LLMs exhibit similar capabilities: can they produce language that evades a trusted monitor while successfully coordinating with an accomplice?
Bio:
APramod Kaushik is a research associate in FBK Italy and a student researcher at the University of Trento. Previously, he has worked at TRDDC Pune, Inria Bordeaux and Columbia Uni. His recent work on the theory of LLM Sampling won the best paper award at ACL last year. He has previously worked on decision making agents and has previously worked on understanding human decision making and building neurocomputational models of the brain.
 

Housekeeping: