Larger models need less visible chain-of-thought for ethical answers
Larger Gemini models depend less on their visible chain-of-thought (CoT) when answering ethical questions, weakening a key signal for AI-safety monitors. The study tests this by truncating or inserting logical mistakes into generated reasoning, then checking whether the final answer changes. It also finds that format constraints may increase dependence by narrowing the model's reasoning space, but necessity only shows that CoT affects an answer, not that it faithfully reveals internal reasoning.