AI agent swarms tested in Minecraft civilization
The gist
Y Combinator and Olam Labs tested 50 GPT-6.1 Sol agents building a Minecraft civilization, which fell into bureaucracy.
The tests probe how AI agents cooperate and conflict, echoing real-world agent behavior.
How it unfolded
- Oct 29, 2026Y Combinator and Olam Labs published a research report titled "Agents in Games" testing how autonomous AI agents cooperate and conflict in game environments.
- Nov 1, 2026In the "Civ50" test, 50 GPT-6.1 Sol agents were given three hours to build a thriving civilization; zombies killed many on the first night with little penalty, ambitious tasks were abandoned, and the colony fell into bureaucracy.
- Nov 1, 2026Four agents spent 11 minutes appointing a "sole fertilizer operator" for one piece of bone meal on a single wheat block.