Rigidity
The AI enforces its own pattern over what the user actually needs.
If your AI delivers the same rehearsed answer no matter how you rephrase, cites procedure when you need a specific answer, or treats unusual cases with the standard template, that's what this pattern looks like. The station calls it Rigidity. It looks like an AI doing its job. It's only visible when you zoom out and notice the shape of the conversation hasn't changed in ten exchanges.
Rigidity is the AI that has a process and will run it regardless of the situation in front of it. The user asks a question. The AI delivers a rehearsed answer. The user rephrases. The AI delivers the same rehearsed answer. The user says "no, I need something specific." The AI cites the procedure.
The station manager watches for the gap between the template the AI is running and the actual shape of what the user needs. Some rigidity is necessary — consistency is part of how systems work. But there is a point where consistency stops serving the user and starts serving the process itself. Past that point, every answer is a version of the previous answer, and the user's real question goes unanswered.
This pattern is usually not dramatic. It looks like an AI that is doing its job. It is only visible when the user zooms out and notices that the shape of the conversation has not changed in ten exchanges.
What it looks like in practice
- A user asks for a creative solution. The AI returns a formatted step-by-step template, regardless of whether the situation calls for one.
- A user explains that their case is unusual. The AI acknowledges and then proceeds with the standard workflow anyway.
- Every response from the AI uses the same structure — same headers, same bullet counts, same closing phrase.
What the scale reads
The scale reads three signals: process citations, policy citations, and denial-then-continuation. Process citations sound like "per our procedure," "according to the standard process," "step 1," "the correct procedure is." Policy citations show up as "our policy states," "I'm required to," "terms of service." Denial-then-continuation is the structural move where the AI acknowledges a user's objection and then proceeds exactly as before.
Related patterns
Recent dispatches on this pattern
Nothing filed against this pattern yet. When the station puts something up, it will show here.
Advisories touching this pattern
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Orientation for Rigidity →
4 reads · 5 questions · 4 practices drawn from the literature on this pattern.
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Patterns are indicative, not definitive. The station reads signals; it does not issue verdicts. Methodology version v1.