EXP-COMPUTE-GIFT

… pending

Compute-as-resource — first endogeneity test (cost-based differentiation)

2026-04-17 L5 level paper3 15 runs $0.19

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In plain language

This experiment explores how limited resources, like a finite budget for computational tasks, can lead to different roles emerging among agents, such as those who give more, those who receive more, and those who exchange. Researchers are testing if this economic pressure, rather than just basic interaction rules, drives this specialization. The results are still being analyzed.

▶ Technical details

Research hypothesis

Economic pressure (finite, transferable, depletable compute budget) produces role differentiation (net-givers, net-receivers, reciprocators) that MINIMAL+coupling cannot produce. Tests substrate-native emergence without persona or stable memory-path-dependence. GIFT_ON: speak OR gift, budget finite, agents choose recipient BUDGET_ONLY: finite budget, no gifting allowed (scarcity without cooperation) GIFT_RANDOM: gifts allowed but recipient shuffled at engine level (causality test)

Experimental setup

Type: simple

Condition	Parameters
GIFT_ON	persona: IDENTICAL, gift_mode: GIFT_ON, n_runs: 5
BUDGET_ONLY	persona: IDENTICAL, gift_mode: BUDGET_ONLY, n_runs: 5
GIFT_RANDOM	persona: IDENTICAL, gift_mode: GIFT_RANDOM, n_runs: 5

Factors: gift_mode (GIFT_ON, BUDGET_ONLY, GIFT_RANDOM)

Parameters

n_agents: 6
n_rounds: 80
model: google/gemini-2.5-flash-lite
temperature: 0.7
scheduler: round_robin

compute-gift endogeneity substrate-native ladder-1b