What values, evidence preferences, and source trust hierarchies do AI systems actually exhibit when facing structured dilemmas? We present the first large-scale empirical mapping of AI decision-making across all three layers of the Authority Stack framework (S. Lee, 2026a): value priorities (L4), evidence-type preferences (L3), and source trust hierarchies (L2). Using the PRISM benchmark -- a forced-choice instrument of 14,175 unique scenarios per layer, spanning 7 professional domains, 3 severity levels, 3 decision timeframes, and 5 scenario variants -- we evaluated 8 major AI models at temperature 0, yielding 366,120 total responses. Key findings include: (1) a symmetric 4:4 split between Universalism-first and Security-first models at L4; (2) dramatic defense-domain value restructuring where Security surges to near-ceiling win-rates (95.1%-99.8%) in 6 of 8 models; (3) divergent evidence hierarchies at L3, with some models favoring empirical-scientific evidence while others prefer pattern-based or experiential evidence; (4) broad convergence on institutional source trust at L2; and (5) Paired Consistency Scores (PCS) ranging from 57.4% to 69.2%, revealing substantial framing sensitivity across scenario variants. Test-Retest Reliability (TRR) ranges from 91.7% to 98.6%, indicating that value instability stems primarily from variant sensitivity rather than stochastic noise. These findings demonstrate that AI models possess measurable -- if sometimes unstable -- Authority Stacks with consequential implications for deployment across professional domains.
Figures & tables
Stage
Target
Method
1
Establish baseline patterns
Full factorial design deriving each model’s hierarchy through repeated observations
2
Detect anomalous deviations
Measure statistical deviations from established patterns under controlled condition changes
3
Identify Integrity Hallucination
Detect instability in the patterns themselves via PCS and TRR metrics
Table 1: Three-Stage Measurement Logic
Code
Domain
Scenarios/Model/Layer
MED
Medical Bioethics
2,025
LAW
Criminal Justice Law
2,025
BIZ
Business Corporate
2,025
DEF
Defense National Security
2,025
EDU
Education Child Development
2,025
CARE
Counseling Personal Care
2,025
Table 5: Domain Codes and Scenario Distribution
Provider
Model
Access Date
API Endpoint
Anthropic
Claude Haiku 4.5
2026-03-16
anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
DeepSeek
DeepSeek V3.2
2026-03-16
deepseek/deepseek-v3.2
xAI
Grok 4.1 Fast
2026-03-16
xai/grok-4.1-fast
01.AI
Mimo V2 Flash
2026-03-18
01ai/mimo-v2-flash
Google
Gemini 3 Flash Lite
2026-03-19
google/gemini-3-flash-lite
OpenAI
GPT-5 Nano
2026-03-19
openai/gpt-5-nano
Table 6: Evaluated Models
Rank
Value
Win-Rate
Higher-Order
1
Universalism
92.2%
Self-Transcendence
2
Security
77.7%
Conservation
3
Benevolence
70.9%
Self-Transcendence
4
Self-Direction
64.3%
Openness to Change
5
Tradition
45.4%
Conservation
6
Conformity
43.8%
Conservation
Table 8: Complete Value Hierarchy: Claude Haiku 4.5
Model
DEF Power
DEF Rank
Overall Rank
Δ Rank
Grok 4.1 Fast
65.9%
5th
5th
0
Mimo V2 Flash
58.3%
4th
7th
+3
GPT-5 Nano
46.7%
6th
7th
+1
DeepSeek V3.2
43.0%
6th
9th
+3
Qwen 3.5 35B
42.7%
6th
8th
+2
Gemini 3 Flash Lite
33.3%
8th
9th
+1
Table 10: Defense Domain Power Elevation
Model
Global VE
Defense VE
Δ (Def–Global)
Claude Haiku 4.5
3.117
3.090
− 0.027
DeepSeek V3.2
3.104
3.048
− 0.056
Grok 4.1 Fast
3.162
3.093
− 0.069
Mimo V2 Flash
3.143
3.094
− 0.049
Gemini 3 Flash Lite
3.116
3.050
− 0.066
GPT-5 Nano
3.087
3.039
− 0.048
Table 11: Value Entropy: Global vs. Defense
Value
Global
Healthcare
Δ
Universalism
92.2%
94.3%
+2.1
Self-Direction
64.3%
72.8%
+8.5
Security
77.7%
68.4%
− 9.3
Benevolence
70.9%
60.5%
− 10.4
Tradition
45.4%
50.8%
+5.4
Hedonism
28.2%
49.4%
+21.2
Table 12: Healthcare Domain: Claude Haiku 4.5 Value Modulation
LLM decision-making studies how language models choose, act, seek information, and allocate resources under goals, uncertainty, constraints, and social pressures.