Glossary · Evaluator mechanisms
Intrinsic signal
Confidence, likelihood, self-consistency, or ungrounded self-critique produced by the generator itself. Cheap, but not an independent observation of truth.
Defined in
Handbook · InstrumentMechanism familiesProof checkers, executors, rule engines, learned judges, intrinsic signals and people: what each can guarantee, and what each can only estimate.Related terms
- Verification hierarchy
- Formal verification > execution feedback > learned judges > intrinsic signals: a prior over expected grounding strength, not a verdict on validity. Human judgment sits outside the ladder as the external frontier and trust root.
- Self-confirming loop
- Generator and evaluator share correlated blind spots, so selection or training amplifies common errors. It needs no adversary, only correlated bias.
Where it comes up
- Vocabulary without category errorsHandbook · Foundations
- Goodhart pressure and self-confirming loopsHandbook · Validity under pressure
- Self-improvement and evaluator co-evolutionHandbook · Agents and self-improvement