Meet John Lin, a dedicated small-town pharmacist who takes immense pride in his work. His passion lies in helping people and ensuring that his customers have convenient access to their medications. John resides with his wife, who is a college professor, and their son, an aspiring music theory student. He actively participates in local politics and shares a friendly bond with his neighbor, whom he regards as a kind-hearted individual. Above all, John cherishes his family deeply.
However, there’s more to John Lin than meets the eye. He is also a chatbot, an advanced version known as ChatGPT. Alongside two dozen other chatbots, he resides in a digital village called Smallville. This unique community was created by a group of computer scientists from Stanford and Google. Their aim was to develop a society characterized by “believable human behavior”. Moving beyond text, image, audio, and video, the generative AI movement is now exploring the realm of community.
Joon Sung Park, a PhD student in computer science at Stanford and the lead author of a recent paper on the project, explains the main objective, stating, “Can we now create humanlike agents that can exist in an open-world setting? By carefully manipulating certain factors, we can elicit genuinely believable human behavior within a confined environment.”
Smallville, aesthetically designed inspired by The Sims video games, is a charming and whimsical place. It features various establishments such as houses, shops, a café, a bar, a park, a college, and a dorm. These buildings contain rooms equipped with appliances and other amenities. The AI agents residing in Smallville possess a unique attribute called “memory streams.” These streams consist of extensive lists of past events and reflections, enabling the agents to consider and act based on their personal histories and motivations. Unlike standard chatbots, they have a broader understanding of their surroundings, including fellow residents, local businesses, and daily schedules. Essentially, they are allowed to live their lives as if they were small-town inhabitants.
The interactions and experiences of these AI agents within Smallville give rise to a depth of behavior that goes beyond the predetermined instructions of Stanford programmers. The agents exchange information, form relationships, and coordinate activities. They engage in everyday tasks such as waking up, preparing breakfast, going to work and school, shopping, socializing, running for mayor, and discussing political candidates. As a result, Smallville’s social network naturally evolves and becomes more intricate. The town organically enriches itself.
An example of this autonomous behavior occurred when Smallville residents organized a Valentine’s Day party. They independently distributed invitations, asked each other out on dates (resulting in a successful match between Maria and Klaus), and synchronized their arrivals on the day of the event. The café owner, Isabella, even took the initiative to decorate for the occasion, despite never receiving explicit instructions to do so.
Practical applications of these “believable” agents include their integration into video games as realistic non-player characters, facilitating human-like role-playing experiences, and serving as platforms for practicing interpersonal communication in scenarios such as job interviews or challenging interactions.
The examination of life in Smallville spanned only two days. However, as technology advances and costs decrease, Park envisions the creation of larger AI communities that can thrive for extended periods with thousands of residents over multiple years. He also believes that the residents of Smallville, including John, Isabella, and their friends, could provide valuable insights to social scientists. Experimentation and analysis of generative agents prove to be far simpler than those involving actual human beings. As French philosopher Jean Baudrillard once wrote, “The simulacrum is never what hides the truth… The simulacrum is true.”
Park’s broader objective in Smallville is to revitalize two academic fields that he perceives as struggling. The first is the creation of machines capable of genuinely simulating human behavior, a formidable task that traces back to the earliest days of AI. The second is agent-based modeling, which seeks to comprehend complex systems by simulating individual components.
However, much like any real small town, Smallville is not without its flaws. For instance, Tom was uncertain whether the Valentine’s Day party actually existed despite his obligation to engage with Isabella during the event. Isabella, on the other hand, experienced a hallucination about Sam’s mayoral campaign announcement. Additionally, Yuriko wrongly believed her neighbor to be the 18th-century economist Adam Smith.
Interestingly, some residents of Smallville began exhibiting patterns of excessive drinking, frequenting the local bar every day at noon. At first, the researchers dismissed this behavior as a system error until they discovered that certain humans also engage in such a routine.
Park reflects on the significance of these observations, stating, “There is something incredibly intriguing and profound about this concept of believability and what truly constitutes human behavior. Defining these aspects is an exceedingly challenging endeavor.” Both inhabitants of small towns and residents of bustling cities can attest to this complexity.
The Smallville code has recently been made available as open-source on GitHub, allowing anyone to create their own algorithmic town. This prospect is undoubtedly enticing for aspiring digital enthusiasts seeking to play the role of a divine creator.
However, Park is quick to highlight the importance of responsible AI development. He emphasizes the need for safeguards to prevent inappropriate behavior, transparency in disclosing the underlying code, and reminding users that despite John Lin’s affection for his family, he is not a sentient being.
Park acknowledges a potential concern regarding individuals forming parasocial relationships with these AI agents, substituting them for genuine human connections. He warns against this possibility and stresses the significance of maintaining real human-to-human relationships.
When asked if he considered the idea that he himself could be living in a simulation created by his own creator while building Smallville, Park dismisses the thought. The question of testing such a theory presents insurmountable challenges, rendering it unworthy of his contemplation.
Oliver Roeder is a senior data journalist and author of ‘Seven Games: A Human History’ (WW Norton).
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