[Agentlien]

This seems like one of those strangely recurring limitations of writers' imagination.

The closest analogue I can think of is game AIs written to optimise speed running of games. They routinely end up following tactics which rely on what humans would describe as cheats and glitches.

[skybrian]

I don't know which writers you mean but "wireheading" is a common trope and it's explicitly mentioned in the story.

[1] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aMXhaj6zZBgbTrfqA/a-definiti...