MIT researchers stranded an AI agent on a desert island. What happened could change how robots are trained

Humans have long been obsessed with what happens to people stranded on desert islands. From Robinson Crusoe to Lord of the Flies and Yellowjackets, stories about resilience, creativity, and chaos in the wilderness have always fascinated audiences. But what if those humans were replaced by an AI castaway? What happens when AI agents aren’t given any task at all, except to exist and fill their time on a digital desert island? Those are the questions that researchers at MIT’s Computer S...