Proxy Optimization and Measurement Failure — Historical Record Archive

<p dir="ltr">This record documents an earlier reference guide examining how systems can optimize simplified measures, rewards, specifications, procedures, and signals in ways that weaken their connection to underlying outcomes.</p><p dir="ltr">The paper brought together related concepts including Goodhart’s Law, metric gaming, reward hacking, specification gaming, goal displacement, and signal distortion. It considered how these patterns can appear across artificial intelligence, organizations, institutions, governance, and information systems.</p><p dir="ltr">The material was later consolidated and developed into broader work on optimization, measurement, and system misalignment.

This record is retained as a historical metadata reference.</p>