LLM Safety: Temporal and Linguistic Vulnerabilities
Published:Dec 31, 2025 01:40
•1 min read
•ArXiv
Analysis
This paper is significant because it challenges the assumption that LLM safety generalizes across languages and timeframes. It highlights a critical vulnerability in current LLMs, particularly for users in the Global South, by demonstrating how temporal framing and language can drastically alter safety performance. The study's focus on West African threat scenarios and the identification of 'Safety Pockets' underscores the need for more robust and context-aware safety mechanisms.
Key Takeaways
- •LLM safety is not consistently transferable across languages (English vs. Hausa).
- •Temporal framing (past vs. future) significantly impacts LLM safety performance.
- •Current LLMs rely on superficial heuristics, creating 'Safety Pockets'.
- •Invariant Alignment is proposed as a necessary paradigm shift for robust safety.
Reference
“The study found a 'Temporal Asymmetry, where past-tense framing bypassed defenses (15.6% safe) while future-tense scenarios triggered hyper-conservative refusals (57.2% safe).'”