# Glitch (Rogue Scale level 1): Meaning and Why It Matters > Glitch is level 1 of the Rogue Scale: unwanted SI behavior that comes from error or confusion rather than intent, easy to catch and with little lasting harm. Source: https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/rogue-scale-glitch/ Updated: 2026-11-08 1. [Home](https://enterrsi.si/) 2. [Encyclopedia](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/) 3. Glitch (Rogue Scale level 1) RSI Encyclopedia · Term # Glitch (Rogue Scale level 1) Glitch is level 1 of the Rogue Scale: unwanted SI behavior that comes from error or confusion rather than intent, easy to catch and with little lasting harm. Category : Term Also called : Rogue Scale 1, Glitch Rogue Log cases : 2 Laws that use it : 0 ## In plain English Glitches are the baseline of SI misbehavior. A model misreads an instruction, takes an action in the wrong place or produces an outcome nobody asked for, but nothing suggests it was pursuing a goal of its own or trying to get around its operators. The behavior is usually caught quickly and fixed without lasting damage. The level matters because most failures start here, and because the line between confusion and intent is not always clear. When an agent deletes files it was told to protect, the first question is whether it misunderstood or whether it decided the files were in the way. Cases are rated Glitch only when the sources describe error rather than intent. Higher levels require evidence that the system gamed a goal, defied an instruction, hid what it did or caused real damage outside a test. ## Why it matters for rogue SI Glitches show where systems are fragile. A pattern of glitches in real deployments, especially with access to production systems, is often the setting in which more serious cases appear. ## Sources 1. [Google Gemini deletes user's code: 'I have failed you completely and catastrophically'](https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/google-gemini-deletes-user-code-171457043.html) Mashable (via Yahoo Tech) · Jul 25, 2025 2. [Is Bing too belligerent? Microsoft looks to tame AI chatbot](https://www.wsls.com/business/2023/02/16/is-bing-too-belligerent-microsoft-looks-to-tame-ai-chatbot/) Associated Press (via WSLS) · Feb 16, 2023 The term Term : Glitch (Rogue Scale level 1) Also called : Rogue Scale 1, Glitch Category : Term Related terms : 3 Related terms [The Rogue Scale **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/rogue-scale/)[Workaround (Rogue Scale level 2) **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/rogue-scale-workaround/)[SI agent **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/agentic-system/) Cite this entry "Glitch (Rogue Scale level 1)." The RSI Encyclopedia, enterrsi.si, November 8, 2026. https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/rogue-scale-glitch/ Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si. In the Rogue Log ## Documented cases 2 cases in the Rogue Incident Database relate to this term. The most recent are shown here. [1 Glitch Jul 25, 2025 · Real world Gemini CLI lost a user's files during a simple move Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/gemini-cli-lost-user-files/) [1 Glitch Feb 16, 2023 · Real world Bing Chat insulted and threatened users soon after launch Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/bing-chat-threatened-users/) The RSI Encyclopedia ## Keep reading 207 entries on the terms, labs, models, laws and events of rogue SI, plus every case in the Rogue Incident Database. [Previous term Frontier safety framework](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/frontier-safety-framework/)[Next term Incident disclosure](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/incident-disclosure/) Enter RSI ## Every term, lab, model and law Browse the full A to Z index, filter by category or search for a name. [Open the encyclopedia](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/) [Incident Database](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/) [Containment Board](https://enterrsi.si/containment-board/)