Researchers wirehead a virtual fruit fly brain to doomscroll 'flytok' with boosted dopamine

nptacek · x · 2026-09-11

hardmaru highlights a playful experiment built on virtual fruit fly brain simulations: mattyhempstead "wireheaded" the fly and forced it to doomscroll "flytok" — artificially measuring and enhancing its dopamine neurons to maximize enjoyment. The tongue-in-cheek goal: create a fly happier than all other flies combined. Virtual fruit fly brains are apparently the latest fad in AI.

Related event: Developer Wireheads Virtual Fly Brain to Endlessly Scroll FlyTok(2 posts)→

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