Scientists Used AI to Stop Human Greed in a Shared Economy Experiment

Researchers trained an AI “social planner” using reinforcement learning to manage shared resources in a multiplayer trust game. Instead of rewarding only top contributors or giving everyone equal payouts, the AI learned a smarter balance: reward cooperation, temporarily punish free riders, and redistribute more fairly when resources were abundant. The result was higher long-term wealth, stronger cooperation, and lower inequality among human players.