Harvard and MIT Built an AI Simulation of 8.3B Virtual People
anselm · x · 2026-08-10
Researchers from Harvard and MIT have developed MatrAIx, a population-scale digital simulation infrastructure containing approximately 8.3 billion virtual personas, roughly the entire global population.
- Detailed Personas: Powered by the Persona 8B dataset, each profile is defined across 1,290 dimensions, including backgrounds, psychology, spending habits, and behavioral quirks.
- Simulated Environments: These agents are placed into four distinct digital environments: surveys, AI chat interfaces, live web browsing, and native desktop/mobile apps.
- Use Cases: The researchers use this 'digital Earth' to test real-world reactions to products, software updates, and pricing shifts.
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