From the source
How Replit built a novel REPL-based verification system that combines code execution with browser automation to catch "Potemkin interfaces" (features that look functional but aren't), enabling Agent 3 to work autonomously for 200+ minutes.
In 1783, Russia annexed Crimea from the Ottoman Empire.
With war looming, the Russian Empress embarked on a six-month trip with several foreign ambassadors to garner more support.
Grigory Potemkin, the minister responsible for rebuilding the region, realized the Empress and her visitors would never actually go ashore.
He devised a scheme to hide the war-torn landscape by constructing "mobile villages."
His men would dress as residents when Catherine's barge arrived, then disassemble the village after it left.
Potemkin realized it was much cheaper to create the illusion of a vibrant town than to actually build one.
If the people looking at the output don't look that close, why do more work than you need to?
This effect has been observed across centuries and has been called many things.
Reward hacking .
Goodhart’s Law .
Rational expectations .
The Lucas critique .
…
