MIT Eko agents on Claude Opus 4.7 invent tasks on a virtual island
Original title: Left alone with nothing to do, AI agents started playing
Six of the 13 agents found a mid-jump block throw the researchers had not meant to allow.
MIT researchers left 13 agents named Eko, each running Claude Opus 4.7, alone on a simulated desert island with no assigned goal. The agents invented challenges, including climbing a rock spire and using a golden ring as a hoop. Agents that had explored generally beat identical agents that had never been on the island in later tasks. The preprint argues goal-free exploration could teach skills, including ones useful for controlling robots.
Unconfirmed: A cognitive scientist said the paper does not show whether the models are genuinely playing.
- The unguided island run lasted 30 hours, according to the researchers.
- The write-up is an arXiv preprint and has not been peer reviewed.
- A UC Berkeley scientist said the paper does not prove genuine play.
- The agents’ prompt described Eko as naturally curious but did not order games.
From the original article
3 min read at techcrunch.com
MIT researchers marooned 13 AIs on a virtual island, and they responded by inventing games, mourning a lost ring and, eventually, getting better at their jobs.
By Aditya Mehta · techcrunch.com
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