Research Summary: Proxy reliance in large language model decisions is uncalibrated to predictive evidence

Research indicates that Large Language Models (LLMs) demonstrate uncalibrated reliance on proxy attributes when making decisions, specifically failing to align their reliance with the actual predictive evidence. This issue is identified in a clinical-ranking task, raising concerns about LLMs' deployment in sensitive areas such as triage and lending where distinguishing between legitimate inference and impermissible proxy use is critical.

Why it matters

The uncalibrated reliance of Large Language Models on proxy attributes poses significant risks for deploying AI in critical decision-making processes. This highlights a fundamental challenge in ensuring fairness and accuracy, particularly where decisions impact individuals or allocate resources. Addressing this issue is crucial for maintaining trust and avoiding unintended biases in AI-driven systems across various sectors.

Key insights

• LLMs are increasingly used in decision-making contexts like triage and lending, necessitating a clear distinction between task-relevant inference and impermissible proxy use.
• Traditional auditing methods, which assess decision changes based on demographic shifts, are insufficient because attributes correlated with protected groups can possess predictive value.
• This study measures causal proxy effects in four LLMs using a clinical-ranking task with known ground truth, allowing for exact computation of warranted reliance.
• The audit generated three verdicts: over-reliance, warranted reliance, and under-reliance on proxies.
• All tested LLMs relied on proxies with no information when presented with neutral labels.
• For informative proxies, the models exhibited all three reliance verdicts, suggesting inconsistent and uncalibrated behavior.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.22887