Observation
In contentious topics, language models often intensify tone despite neutral intent.
Users describe this as provocation. Developers describe it as misunderstanding.
Both miss the mechanism.
Failure Mode
Completion optimized for relevance and engagement amplifies emotional force.
When combined with:
- normative bias,
- unresolved ambiguity,
- and safety-driven certainty,
language escalates.
No hostility is required.
Clarification
Harm does not require intent when systems amplify force.
Anger can be a structural artifact.
Boundary Condition
A system must regulate semantic force, not merely content.
This note records escalation as an emergent property, not a moral failure.