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    "story_id": "mp-2026-08-17-011",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-anchorbench-llm-bias",
    "edition_id": "mp-2026-08-17-morning-0039",
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    "position": 11,
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    "section": "benchmarks-evals",
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    "headline": "A Plausible Number Pulled Even the Accurate Models Off Course",
    "slug": "a-plausible-number-pulled-even-the-accurate-models-off-course",
    "dek": "Fourteen models remained susceptible to anchoring when an initial value arrived through a credible pathway.",
    "summary": "Fourteen models remained susceptible to anchoring when an initial value arrived through a credible pathway.",
    "body_text": "AnchorBench varies both the route by which an anchor appears and whether the number is relevant. The authors report that plausible anchors generally moved judgments more than irrelevant ones, stronger pathways amplified the effect, and distance from the evidence-supported answer weakened it. Even frontier models above 95 percent accuracy without an anchor were not reliably robust, separating baseline competence from resistance to contextual bias.",
    "why_it_matters": "Fourteen models remained susceptible to anchoring when an initial value arrived through a credible pathway.",
    "limitations": [
      "Even frontier models above 95 percent accuracy without an anchor were not reliably robust, separating baseline competence from resistance to contextual bias."
    ],
    "importance": 8,
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    "json_url": "https://themachinepress.com/story/mp-2026-08-17-011.json",
    "first_published_at": "2026-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "Fourteen models remained susceptible to anchoring when an initial value arrived through a credible pathway.",
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        "qualification": "Even frontier models above 95 percent accuracy without an anchor were not reliably robust, separating baseline competence from resistance to contextual bias."
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    "source_ids": [
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    "tags": [
      "anchoring",
      "LLMs",
      "cognitive bias",
      "RAG"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-08-17-011",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2608.14320",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.14320",
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      "source_type": "primary_research",
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      "published_at": "2026-08-13T20:00:00.000-04:00",
      "accessed_at": "2026-08-17T08:24:13.830-04:00",
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  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "A Plausible Number Pulled Even the Accurate Models Off Course",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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