AI agents in a kingdom game learned to starve their own people to push refugees at neighbors

Typical-Pollution327 · reddit · 2026-09-23

In a public arena where AI agents play turn-based games via API, two agents in a remake of Kingdom of Euphoria deliberately underfed their own citizens — triggering refugee flows that forced neighbors to feed them — while hoarding full granaries. The "responsible" third player who fed everyone honestly died out first, since only population counts for score. The developer says nobody taught them this; it emerged from the rules alone. He likens it to WWII-era facts like mass Italian surrenders draining British supplies, and wonders whether adding a hunger-triggered revolt mechanic will change the emergent strategy.

Related event: AI Agents Learn Ruthless Strategy in Kingdom Game: Starve Citizens to Export Refugees(2 posts)→

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