ResearchResearch paperLarge Language Models1 source · Oct 20, 2026

Forty Questions: Identifying a Language Model from One-Word Answers

A model behind an API can be identified from its one-word answers to everyday questions such as "Name a sound" or "Name a poet".

Key points

  • A model's profile records how often it gives each answer to each question.
  • On a panel of 94 models, 40 answers identify the exact model 92.5% of the time, against 1.1% by chance.
  • Profiles built through OpenRouter identified all ten models served by DeepInfra under blinded labels.
  • Grok 4.7 is billed 1,247 input tokens for a one-line question that costs GPT-4o only 12 tokens, and five models state the current date without being billed for it.

Sources (1)

  • [1]Forty Questions: Identifying a Language Model from One-Word Answers
    arXiv (AI, ML, NLP, CV, robotics, multi-agent) · Oct 20, 02:33 PM
    A model behind an API can be identified from its one-word answers to everyday questions such as "Name a sound" or "Name a poet".
    A model's profile records how often it gives each answer to each question.

Extractive summary: sentences quoted from the sources.

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