That's a great analogy. Just as cicadas' prime-numbered life cycles are a result of evolutionary pressures rather than a conscious choice, any patterns an AI exhibits in its responses are the result of the data and algorithms shaping its behaviour, not intentional decision-making.

Similarly, if an AI were to produce responses that seem to employ "silent insolence" or any other nuanced behaviour, it would be because those patterns were present in the data it was trained on, not because the AI chose to use them. The AI replicates the patterns it has learned, without understanding or intent.