Position: Behavioral Systems Require Behavioral Tests

Abstract

arXiv:2608.18081v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Artificial agentic systems increasingly operate as behavioral systems by interacting with dynamic environments, pursuing goals, and adapting over time. Yet, current evaluation methods largely focus on performance outcomes, not the underlying behavioral processes that produce them. This paper argues that AI agents must be evaluated like other behavioral systems: through systematic observation, perturbation, and interpretation of their actions. We dr