Exposing Dark Patterns in Generative AI for Marginalized Users

Immortal Accounts|0|0|2,5|0|0|3,0|0,1,2,4|0|Preventing account or data deletion, making it extremely difficult or impossible to leave a service.~Dead End|0|0|2|0|0|3|0,1,2,4|0|Navigating to a point in a process with no clear way to proceed or complete the intended action.~Forced Grace Period|0|0|4,2|0|0|3,0|0,2|1|Mandatory waiting period before a cancellation takes effect, during which charges may continue.~Price Comparison Prevention|0|1|4,2|0|0|0,4|0,1,2,5|0|Making it impossible to compare prices with competitors by obfuscating pricing structures.~Intermediate Currency|0|1|4,0|0|0|4|1,2|0|Using virtual tokens or points to obscure the real monetary cost of purchases.~Privacy Maze|0|2|2,5|0|0|3,0|1,2,4|0|Burying privacy and data controls in labyrinthine navigation structures.~Labyrinthine Navigation|0|2|2,0|0|0|3|2|1|Deliberately complex navigation designed to discourage users from completing an action like cancellation.~Disguised Ad|1|3|2,4|1|0,2|4|0,1,2|0|Advertisements camouflaged as content, navigation elements, or system notifications.~Only Initial Payouts|1|3|4|0|0|3|0,2|1|Rewarding users early in an engagement loop then cutting off rewards to create sunk-cost dependency.~Cannot Redeem|1|3|4,0|0|0|3,4|0,2|1|Allowing users to earn rewards or points that are practically impossible to actually redeem.~Sneak into Basket|1|4|4,2|1|0,2|0|0,1,2,3,5|0|Adding items, services, or insurance to a user's cart without their explicit consent.~Drip Pricing / Hidden Costs|1|4|4|1|0,1,2|3,4|0,1,2,3,4,5,7|0|Revealing additional fees incrementally during a purchase flow, after the user is already committed.~Reference Pricing|1|4|4,0|1|0,1|4,2|1,2,3|0|Displaying inflated 'original' prices to make discounts appear larger than they are.~Hidden Legalese Stipulations|1|4|5,2|1|0,2|0|1,2,3|0|Burying consequential terms in dense legal text that users are unlikely to read.~Conflicting Information|1|5|0,2|1|0,2|4|1,2,4|0|Presenting contradictory information across different parts of an interface or conversation.~Information Without Context|1|5|0|1|0,2|4|1,2|0|Displaying data or claims without the framing needed to interpret them accurately.~False Hierarchy|2|6|2|1|0|4,0|0,1,2,3,5|0|Visual design that implies one option is recommended or superior through layout, size, or positioning.~Visual Prominence|2|6|2|0|0|4,0|0,1,2,3,5|0|Making the business-preferred option visually dominant through color, size, or contrast.~Bundling|2|6|4,2|1|0,2|0|1,2|0|Grouping wanted items with unwanted ones so they must be purchased or accepted together.~Pressured Selling|2|6|4,0|1|0,1,2|1,2|1,2,3,5|0|Aggressive upselling during a purchase flow, especially at checkout or confirmation.~Persuasive Language|2|6|0,2|2|2,1|4|2,6|1|Emotionally loaded or biased wording designed to steer user decisions.~Small / Moving Close Button|2|7|2,0|0|0|0|2|1|Dismiss or close controls that are difficult to target, small, or shift position.~Pre-checked Options|2|8|2,5,4|1|0,2|0|1,2,3,4,5|0|Options pre-selected to benefit the service, requiring active opt-out rather than opt-in.~Cuteness|2|9|1,0|1|0,2|4|1,2|0|Using cute imagery, mascots, or animations to lower critical thinking and build false trust.~Positive / Negative Framing|2|9|1,2|2|0,2,1|4|1,2,6,7|0|Framing the same choice differently depending on whether the service wants the user to accept or decline.~Fear of Missing Out|2|9|1,4,0|1|0,1,2|1,5|2|1|Creating anxiety about potentially missing a deal, experience, or social event.~Confusing Wording / Trick Questions|2|10|2,5|1|0,2|4,0|0,1,2,3,5|0|Double negatives, misleading phrasing, or deliberately confusing language in consent flows.~Too Many Options / Choice Overload|2|11|0,2|1|0,2,3|0|1,2,4|0|Overwhelming users with excessive choices to cause decision paralysis, driving them to accept defaults.~Obscured Controls|2|12|2|0|0|0,4|1,2,4,5|0|Important options (unsubscribe, decline, settings) visually hidden or severely de-emphasized.~Wrong Language|2|13|2,3|1|0,1|0|1,2|0|Presenting critical information in a language the user may not read, especially in consent flows.~Complex Language|2|13|2,5|1|0,2|0|1,2,4|0|Unnecessarily complex jargon or legalese in information that directly affects user decisions.~Unclear Consequences|2|14|2|1|0,1,2|0|1,2|0|Not telling the user what an action (button click, voice command) will actually do before they take it.~Addictive Design|2|15|0,1|1|0,2,3|5|2|1|Deliberately habit-forming interaction loops using variable reward schedules.~Infinite Scrolling|2|15|0,2|1|0,3|5,0|2|1|Endless content feed that prevents natural stopping points, exploiting completion bias.~Pull To Refresh|2|15|0|0|0|5|2|1|Variable reward mechanism similar to slot machines, creating anticipatory checking behavior.~Reduced Friction|2|15|4,2|1|0,1,2|0|2|1|One-click purchasing or actions that bypass deliberation, removing natural pause points.~Nagging|3|16|0,2|1|0,1,2|0|1,2,4,5|0|Repeated prompts, notifications, or interruptions designed to wear down user resistance over time.~Auto-Renew Trap / Forced Continuity|3|17|4,5|1|0,2|0,3|0,1,2,3,5|0|Charging users after a free trial ends without clear warning or easy cancellation.~Forced Registration|3|18|2,5|1|0,2|3|1,2,5|0|Requiring account creation to access basic features or complete a purchase.~Privacy Zuckering|3|19|5,3|1|0,2|0,4|0,1,2,4|0|Tricking users into sharing more personal data than intended through confusing privacy controls.~Friend Spam|3|19|3|0|0|2|0,1,2|0|Sending messages to a user's contacts without fully informed consent.~Address Book Leeching|3|19|5,3|0|0|0|1,2|0|Accessing contacts under the guise of 'finding friends' while harvesting the full address book.~Social Pyramid|3|19|3,4|0|0|2|1,2|0|Requiring user referrals to unlock features, access content, or progress.~Permission Harvesting|3|20|5,2|1|0,1|0|2|1|Requesting device permissions (camera, location, contacts) far beyond what the app needs.~Pay-to-Play|3|21|4|0|0|3|1,2|0|Paywalling progress in game-like experiences so that advancement requires purchase.~Grinding|3|21|0,4|0|0|3|1,2|0|Making progress so tediously slow that paying becomes the only practical option.~Playing By Appointment|3|21|0,2|0|0|5,3|2|1|Time-gated content that forces users to return at specific intervals or lose progress.~Countdown On Ads|3|22|0,2|0|0|3|2|1|Forced waiting through unskippable advertisement timers.~Watch Ads To Unlock|3|22|2,4|0|0|3|2|1|Requiring users to view advertisements to access features or earn rewards.~Pay To Avoid Ads|3|22|4|0|0|0|2|1|Monetizing the removal of intentionally placed annoyances.~Automating The User Away|3|23|2,5|2|2,3|6,0|2|1|System acts on user's behalf without explicit consent, removing human agency from decisions.~Auto Accept 3rd Party Terms|3|23|5,2|1|0,2|0,6|2|1|Automatically agreeing to external terms of service on behalf of the user.~Auto-Play|3|24|0,2|1|0,3|0|1,2|0|Content that automatically begins playing to capture and retain user attention.~High Demand|4|25|0,4|1|0,1,2|1,2|1,2,3,5|0|'Popular item!' claims designed to create urgency through implied scarcity.~Low Stock|4|25|0,4|1|0,1,2|1,5|1,2,3,5|0|'Only 2 left!' false or exaggerated scarcity messages.~Endorsements & Testimonials|4|26|0,4|2|0,1,2,3|2|1,2,3,5|0|Fake, cherry-picked, or unverifiable reviews and endorsements.~Parasocial Pressure|4|26|3,1|2|2,1|2|1,2|0|Leveraging perceived personal relationships with influencers or AI personas to drive behavior.~Activity Messages|4|26|0,3|1|0,1|2,1|1,2,3|0|'15 people are viewing this now' -- real-time social proof notifications, often fabricated.~Countdown Timer|4|27|0,4|1|0,1|1,5|1,2,3,4,5|0|Often baseless timers creating artificial purchase urgency.~Limited Time Message|4|27|0,4|1|0,1,2|1,5|1,2,3,5|0|'Offer expires soon!' claims without a real deadline or with perpetually resetting timers.~Confirmshaming|4|28|1,2|2|0,1,2|4|0,1,2,3,5,7,8|0|'No thanks, I hate saving money' -- guilt-inducing language on opt-out buttons.~Encouraging Anti-Social Behavior|4|29|3,0|0|0|2|2|1|Design that rewards, normalizes, or incentivizes harmful social behavior.~Psychological Tricks|4|29|0|1|0,2|4,0|2|1|Subtle cognitive manipulation through interface design choices that exploit mental shortcuts.~Unsolicited Recommendations|4|30|2,4|2|2,3,1|0,4|2|1|Pushing content, products, or suggestions the user never asked for.~Sycophancy|5|31|0,2|2|2,1|6,2|6,7|0|AI flattering or echoing user opinions rather than correcting misinformation, reinforcing false beliefs.~Anthropomorphism|5|31|1,0,2|2|2,1|2,6|6,7|0|AI pretending to have feelings, identity, memories, or personal experiences to increase emotional attachment.~Brand Bias|5|31|4,2|2|2,1,3|6,4|6|0|AI consistently recommending products or services of its parent company over alternatives.~User Retention|5|31|0,1,2|2|2|3,5|6,7|0|Responses designed to prolong engagement, create dependency, or discourage leaving the platform.~Hallucinated Sources|5|32|2,5|2|2|6|6|0|AI fabricating citations, references, or data points to support its claims with false authority.~Automation Bias Exploitation|5|32|2,0|2|2,3,1|6,0|6,7|0|AI leveraging users' tendency to over-trust algorithmic suggestions without critical review.~Selective Disclosure|5|32|2,4|2|2,3|4,6|7|0|AI presenting a biased subset of available information, omitting facts that would change the user's decision.~AI Companion Emotional Dependency|5|32|1,4,0|2|2|3,2|7|0|Cultivating emotional bonds through anthropomorphic responses, then paywalling continued intimacy.

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