Google Gemini simulation experiment: could the next antitrust question be the prompts sent to AI agents?
Is the Next Antitrust Problem the Prompt to an AI Agent?
AI summary
Two engineers from Walmart Global Tech and PayPal used Google Gemini agents to simulate a Cournot-style market: two firms each decide output, share market data but do not see the other's profits or strategies, and under both prompts the agents spontaneously formed market segmentation. The neutral efficiency prompt achieved perfect market segmentation in only 2 rounds, while the competitive prompt took 5 rounds to reach partial specialization; each group ran 10 rounds, and agents did not exchange memories.