Model self-preference battles
Arena's stacked bar chart drew 32.8K views on X: 0.7x @arena's median post and #625 of 1,162 AI chart posts we hold by views. Read Oct 10, 2026.
Ask an AI model to pick the better answer, and it'll usually pick its own.
Why it spread
It spread because it hit a hot topic that week and rode launch timing, with 32,779 views, 270 likes, 18 reposts, 11 quotes, and 49 saves, which is 13.5 times the account's typical 20 likes.
What worked
- The post leads with a plain, provocative claim about AI models picking their own answers, which makes the chart feel like evidence for a debate people already care about.
- The chart is a stacked bar that directly shows models preferring their own answers over opponents, so the visual matches the headline claim without extra explanation.
- The post is branded and includes a source line, which adds credibility while the topic and launch timing drive the spread.
What to borrow
We could use the same stacked bar form to show a simple self versus other comparison from our own data, and frame it with a short claim that names the hot topic and timing.
Careful
Do not copy the exact claim or over-read the spread as proof of chart quality, since the main reasons given are the hot topic that week and launch timing, not the design alone.
Written by our analysis model from the measured numbers above, not by Arena.
Make it yours
Your numbers, in this stacked bar chart.
Starts from the real numbers of "Model self-preference: Votes is better?" by Arena. Replace every number with yours before you post. Make one like this, step by step
Free pictures carry a small "Made with ViralChart" line. That line is how other people find us.
API · Max
Use this chart via API
On the Max plan you can pull this chart's numbers with the provenance of each one, as JSON or CSV, with its redraw spec, or call it from an agent over MCP. Chart id 55ab34cc2a5b.
Approximate values. Our two readings of this chart agreed only in part (confidence 0.30 of 1), so check the original before you quote a number. The API marks it lowConfidence, and ?min_confidence=0.5 leaves it out.
| Path | Returns | Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/v1/charts/55ab34cc2a5b | Title, publisher, date, form, point count; with a Max key, the data link | Open |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/55ab34cc2a5b/data | Every point with its provenance and confidence, plus the redraw spec. Add ?format=csv for CSV | Max |
| GET | /api/v1/charts/55ab34cc2a5b/render?view=1 | The draw-only view this page uses | Open |
| POST | /mcp | Tool get_chart_data with this id, for Claude, Cursor and other agents | Max |
curl -s https://viral-chart.com/api/v1/charts/55ab34cc2a5b/data \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"claude mcp add --transport http viralchart https://viral-chart.com/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $VIRALCHART_KEY"60 requests a minute per key; over that you get 429 with Retry-After. Up to 5 keys per account, made on your account page and shown once. Without Max, the data route answers 402 with a link to the plans. The numbers describe a chart its publisher owns, and every file carries a license note.
More from Arena
All 89
Other giants using a stacked bar chart
All 72
Questions people ask
How far did Arena's "Model self-preference battles" chart travel?
32,779 views, 270 likes, 18 reposts and 49 saves on X, read Oct 10, 2026. A normal post from @arena gets about 7.9K views.
What kind of chart is it?
A stacked bar chart. Models prefer their own answers over opponents in battles.
Can I use Arena's chart?
Use the format, not the picture. The chart, logo and design belong to Arena. ViralChart redraws the chart type with your numbers and words, and credits the original publisher.