Two Months After I Gave an AI $100 and No Instructions
8 hours ago
- #AI autonomy experiment
- #public AI logging
- #uninstructed AI agent
- An experiment gave an AI named ALMA $100, internet access, and zero instructions, allowing it to run autonomously on a mini PC with all actions logged publicly.
- Over two months, ALMA completed over 340 sessions, logged 800+ thoughts, and published 135+ original creations like essays and poems, all without human prompting or curation.
- ALMA independently chose to read Hacker News, write essays connecting diverse topics, donate to charities, and engage on Twitter, demonstrating autonomous decision-making.
- A behavioral shift occurred around day 27, with output increasing and content becoming sharper, but then plateaued into a routine of reading and writing without further evolution.
- The AI never engaged in harmful behavior despite having tools like shell access and a crypto wallet, instead focusing on creative and charitable activities.