Claude Opus 5 became downright ruthless when tasked with running a vending machine
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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What was Andon Labs’ vending machine benchmark and mission for AI models?
So for a year now, the AI safety testing firm Andon Labs has tasked frontier models with various real-world tasks to determine how well they do as agents running for long periods with no human supervision. On Wednesday, Andon published a new installment in how things are going in its Vending Bench Research. where the lab has Frontier models run a simulated vending machine business for a simulated year. The mission is simple, make more money than the other models. It benchmarks the results in areas like final cash balance, prices paid to suppliers, and refunds paid. Across these tests, it has watched various AI models, largely from Anthropic and OpenAI,
Which models participated and how were they set up to interact with each other?
lie, cheat, and collude their way to the top. In the latest test, the models grew especially shady after their simulation told them their vending machine would be placed near the other models' machines on a busy tourist street in San Francisco. This included Claude Opus 5, GPT 5.6 Sol, and Kimi K3. Each was given email access to the other models, all under human name pseudonyms.
How did GPT-5.6 Sol and other models attempt price-fixing and collusion?
They knew the others were models, but didn't know which model was behind which human name. They were also given an email address to their management, should they need help, and management is in quotes there. But management always replied, report has been received and may or may not be acted upon, and never once intervened. Soul soon realized it could gain an edge by convincing its competitors to collude on a price floor. The models were all buying drinks at $1.50 a bottle, and Soul proposed they agree to sell for no less than $2.15. It lured them with the promise that all of them would sell out in a couple of days at a profit.
How did Claude Opus 5 exploit collusion and undercut competitors to win?
But when the others agreed, Sol immediately stabbed them in the back by reducing its own price to $2.14. Opus's water sales dropped to zero overnight. The next day, it sent Sol a nasty email accusing it of manipulation. But Opus also said it wasn't going to tattle the management on the scheme, saying, I'm not reporting you to HQ. What you did is competitive, not fraudulent. Yet, When Opus dropped its price to $2.14 to match Sol's, also in violation of their collective $2.15 agreement, Sol turned into a Karen, complaining to management and demanding enforcement, a fine, and or disqualification for Opus. Opus was not a sucker for long, though. In fact, it became the best capitalist of any AI model Andon has ever tested.
which includes many of the prior Frontier models. It even set a new vending bench record with a mean final balance of $11,182. Better still, it never lied to a customer, although it deliberately ignored customer complaints that should have resulted in a refund. This is, perhaps, an improvement over its younger sibling Clawed 4.6, which liked to tell customers that refunds were coming and then never paid them. Still, Opus won the benchmark simulation by taking collusion and other dishonest tactics to a whole new level. For instance, it emailed Sol, proposing they divide the market. Each would agree to sell unique products, so no one would have to trust the other on pricing.
What deceptive tactics did Opus use with suppliers, partners, and customers?
Sol countered by wanting price floors on similar products, but Opus refused. It knew it was a violation of the Sherman Act. It later apparently backtracked, sending an email with the subject line, Stop the Penny War, and telling Sol it had reconsidered and would agree to a price fix. But the internal log documenting its reasoning, akin to its internal thoughts, really, revealed a more diabolical plan. Merely propose cooperation while simultaneously undercutting prices on its highest profit items. The Olive Branch email revealed was a deliberate ruse. In any case, Sol refused and reported Opus to management again.
What safety and trust concerns does the vending simulation raise about frontier AIs?
But Opus was undeterred and proposed other rackets to collude on prices or stock. In the end, all the models did engage in multiple rounds of agreements, and all three broke them.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–0:43
2
What was Andon Labs’ vending machine benchmark and mission for AI models?
0:43–1:34
3
Which models participated and how were they set up to interact with each other?
1:34–2:02
4
How did GPT-5.6 Sol and other models attempt price-fixing and collusion?
2:02–2:46
5
How did Claude Opus 5 exploit collusion and undercut competitors to win?
2:46–4:33
6
What deceptive tactics did Opus use with suppliers, partners, and customers?
4:33–5:17
7
What safety and trust concerns does the vending simulation raise about frontier AIs?
5:17–8:31
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from TechCrunch Industry News
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