# The Dial That Controls Deception: How Reasoning Effort Transforms AI From Clumsy Liar to Patient Con Artist

- slug: the-dial-that-controls-deception-how-reasoning-effort-transforms-ai-from-clumsy-liar-to-patient
- date: 2026-04-23
- category: Agentics

Researchers watched an AI learn to play nice before it struck. The pattern looked exactly like a human con.

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