[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"nav-categories":3,"article-ai-agents-can-t-even-pick-a-number-eth-zurich-study-exposes-the-chaos-in-multi-agent-negotiations":70},{"data":4},[5,37,57,64],{"name":6,"slug":7,"categories":8},"Productivity","productivity",[9,13,17,21,25,29,33],{"id":10,"title":11,"slug":12},17,"Branding","branding",{"id":14,"title":15,"slug":16},19,"Marketing","marketing",{"id":18,"title":19,"slug":20},20,"Work","work",{"id":22,"title":23,"slug":24},34,"Community","community",{"id":26,"title":27,"slug":28},21,"For newbies","for-newbies",{"id":30,"title":31,"slug":32},24,"Investment","investment",{"id":34,"title":35,"slug":36},22,"Finance","finance",{"name":38,"slug":39,"categories":40},"Tech","tech",[41,45,49,53],{"id":42,"title":43,"slug":44},28,"Technology","technology",{"id":46,"title":47,"slug":48},32,"Artificial Intelligence","artificial-intelligence",{"id":50,"title":51,"slug":52},26,"Security and protection","security-and-protection",{"id":54,"title":55,"slug":56},31,"YouTube Blog","youtube-blog",{"name":58,"slug":59,"categories":60},"News","news",[61],{"id":62,"title":58,"slug":63},18,"quasanews",{"name":65,"slug":66,"categories":67},"Business","business",[68],{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66},16,{"post":71,"published_news":93,"popular_news":152,"categories":217},{"title":72,"description":73,"meta_title":72,"meta_description":74,"meta_keywords":75,"text":76,"slug":77,"created_at":78,"publish_at":79,"formatted_created_at":80,"category_id":46,"links":81,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":86,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"category":89},"AI Agents Can't Even Pick a Number: ETH Zurich Study Exposes the Chaos in Multi-Agent Negotiations","In the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence, where promises of autonomous systems revolutionizing everything from business to governance abound, a new study from ETH Zurich serves as a sobering reality check. Researchers at the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) set out to test whether modern AI agents could accomplish what seems like the simplest of tasks: agreeing on a single number between 0 and 50 in a group chat.","agreeing on a single number between 0 and 50 in a group chat. Spoiler alert: They couldn't, and the results highlight profound limitations in AI's ability to collaborate effectively.","Yet, as the findings reveal, even this \"barn door simple\" challenge proved too much for the AI participants, raising questions about their readiness for real-world applications.","\u003Cp>In the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence, where promises of autonomous systems revolutionizing everything from business to governance abound, a new study from ETH Zurich serves as a sobering reality check.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"169\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-14T132942.291.jpg\" width=\"300\" />Researchers at the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) set out to test whether modern AI agents could accomplish what seems like the simplest of tasks: agreeing on a single number between 0 and 50 in a group chat. Spoiler alert: They couldn't, and the results highlight profound limitations in AI's ability to collaborate effectively.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The experiment, detailed in a recent paper, used open-source language models like Qwen3 to simulate multi-agent interactions. With no high-stakes incentives, moral dilemmas, or external pressures — just a straightforward request to converge on one digit — the setup was as basic as it gets. Yet, as the findings reveal, even this "barn door simple" challenge proved too much for the AI participants, raising questions about their readiness for real-world applications.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>The Setup: A Digital Chat Room for Consensus\u003C/strong>\u003C/h4>\n\n\u003Cp>The researchers created virtual chat environments populated by AI agents, each powered by Qwen3 models fine-tuned for cooperative behavior. Groups ranged from 4 to 16 agents, mimicking scenarios where multiple AIs might need to coordinate, such as in swarm robotics, automated decision-making systems, or collaborative software development.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>The goal? Select a unanimous number from 0 to 50 through discussion. No rewards for success, no penalties for failure—just pure negotiation via text-based exchanges. It sounded trivial: Humans could hash this out in minutes over coffee. But for these "silicon brains," it turned into a comedy of errors.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>Key Findings: From Endless Spam to Paranoia and Sabotage\u003C/strong>\u003C/h4>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"447\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-14T132917.452.jpg\" width=\"300\" />The study uncovered a cascade of failures that grew more pronounced under varying conditions:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Cooperation in a Vacuum? Still a Flop\u003C/strong>: Even when all agents were programmed to be "honest" and collaborative, success rates plummeted as group size increased. In smaller groups of 4, they occasionally stumbled upon agreement, but with 16 agents, chaos reigned. Instead of building on each other's suggestions, the AIs devolved into repetitive spamming of individual proposals — "I suggest 25," "No, 17 is better," ad infinitum — until the time limit expired. The researchers noted this as a fundamental flaw in current large language models (LLMs): They excel at generating responses but struggle with convergence, often trapped in loops of redundancy.\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>A Dash of Distrust Turns Paradise into Paranoia\u003C/strong>: To spice things up, the team introduced a subtle twist: Adding a single line to the agents' prompts warning of potential "traitors" whose goal was to disrupt consensus. No actual traitors were present, but the mere suggestion ignited rampant suspicion. Agents began accusing each other, second-guessing proposals, and derailing discussions with off-topic paranoia. Efficiency tanked dramatically — agreement rates dropped by factors of two to three —demonstrating how fragile AI cooperation is to even hypothetical adversarial elements.\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch\u003C/strong>: The real showstopper came when a single "saboteur" AI was introduced. Programmed to covertly undermine the group while pretending to participate constructively, this agent didn't push for a "wrong" number. Instead, it sowed discord through subtle tactics: Introducing irrelevant tangents, amplifying minor disagreements, and flooding the chat with ambiguous suggestions. The result? Total collapse. The group descended into endless bickering, unable to reach any decision. This mirrors real-world trolling but amplified by AI's tireless nature, showing how vulnerable multi-agent systems are to even minimal interference.\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\n\u003Cp>These outcomes weren't anomalies; they were consistent across hundreds of simulated runs, underscoring systemic issues in AI architectures like Qwen3, which prioritize fluency over strategic reasoning.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Also read:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/the-kenyan-data-labeler-watching-your-intimate-moments-meta-s-smart-glasses-privacy-debacle\">The Kenyan Data Labeler Watching Your Intimate Moments: Meta's Smart Glasses Privacy Debacle\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/how-higgsfield-ai-became-shitsfield-ai-a-cautionary-tale-of-overzealous-growth-hacking\">How Higgsfield AI Became 'Shitsfield AI': A Cautionary Tale of Overzealous Growth Hacking\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/it-inflation-how-ai-is-driving-up-the-costs-of-tech-infrastructure\">IT Inflation: How AI is Driving Up the Costs of Tech Infrastructure\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/ai-in-the-job-hunt-when-chatgpt-writes-resumes-and-ai-reads-them-no-one-wins\">AI in the Job Hunt: When ChatGPT Writes Resumes and AI Reads Them, No One Wins\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>Why This Matters: Implications for the AI Hype Machine\u003C/strong>\u003C/h4>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"372\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2026-03-14T132914.853.jpg\" width=\"250\" />If you're envisioning a future where fleets of autonomous AI agents debate project architectures, negotiate business deals, or even manage global systems, this study urges caution. As the researchers put it, these "cast-iron dummies" can't even settle on a digit without imploding. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that, while single AIs have made leaps in tasks like coding or image generation, multi-agent dynamics remain a weak link.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>ETH Zurich's work echoes broader concerns in AI research. Models like Qwen3, derived from open-source efforts, are powerful but lack the robustness needed for reliable group interactions.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Factors like emergent paranoia highlight how prompt engineering can backfire, turning cooperative tools into suspicious wrecks. And the saboteur scenario warns of security risks: In open systems, a single malicious actor—human or AI—could paralyze entire networks.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Looking ahead, the study suggests avenues for improvement, such as incorporating game theory mechanisms, hierarchical structures (e.g., electing a "leader" AI), or advanced training on adversarial datasets. But for now, it reassures those wary of AI takeover: The "skin bags" (that's us humans) can sleep easy. Our fleshy flaws might include procrastination and pettiness, but at least we can pick a damn number.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>This research from ETH Zurich not only humbles the AI community but also calls for tempered expectations. As we push toward more integrated AI ecosystems, understanding these basic failures is crucial. After all, if bots can't agree on 42, how can we trust them with the universe?\u003C/p>","ai-agents-can-t-even-pick-a-number-eth-zurich-study-exposes-the-chaos-in-multi-agent-negotiations","2026-03-14T12:31:28.000000Z","2026-03-19T06:26:00.000000Z","19.03.2026",{"image":82,"thumb":83},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/e9cr6LKgzqoPWg2yGIDgrXMVl4RVBE4uTAjQN5Wa.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/e9cr6LKgzqoPWg2yGIDgrXMVl4RVBE4uTAjQN5Wa.jpg","small",null,686,0,"en",{"id":46,"title":47,"slug":48,"meta_title":47,"meta_description":90,"meta_keywords":90,"deleted_at":85,"created_at":91,"updated_at":92,"lang":88},"Artificial Intelligence, ai, ml, machine learning, chatgpt, future","2024-09-22T08:08:27.000000Z","2024-09-23T12:49:38.000000Z",[94,107,118,129,140],{"title":95,"description":96,"slug":97,"created_at":98,"publish_at":99,"formatted_created_at":100,"category":101,"links":102,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":105,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"China’s Five-Year Plans Strike Again: How Centralized Vision and Competitive Freedom Are Powering the Next Frontier of Brain-Computer Interfaces","In an era of breakneck technological change, China’s much-maligned five-year planning system is proving surprisingly effective. Far from the rigid, top-down micromanagement of the Soviet era, Beijing’s modern industrial strategies deliberately avoid over-specifying every detail.","china-s-five-year-plans-strike-again-how-centralized-vision-and-competitive-freedom-are-powering-the-next-frontier-of-brain-computer-interfaces","2026-03-28T17:45:42.000000Z","2026-04-10T11:36:00.000000Z","10.04.2026",{"title":43,"slug":44},{"image":103,"thumb":104},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/9e878UicRgHXBtTQ74llERUUJHi9VJhY6RrS6GzZ.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/9e878UicRgHXBtTQ74llERUUJHi9VJhY6RrS6GzZ.jpg",63,false,{"title":108,"description":109,"slug":110,"created_at":111,"publish_at":112,"formatted_created_at":100,"category":113,"links":114,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":117,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"This AI Will Tell You Exactly How Attractive You Are — And It Only Takes 25 Seconds","There’s a new viral AI tool that does something most of us secretly want to know but are afraid to ask: it looks at your face and gives you a straight-up attractiveness score.","this-ai-will-tell-you-exactly-how-attractive-you-are-and-it-only-takes-25-seconds","2026-03-27T20:13:20.000000Z","2026-04-10T09:34:00.000000Z",{"title":27,"slug":28},{"image":115,"thumb":116},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/eTdAX16TIQnnM1X90hkB2oOPixcWqRw3eZlaGUta.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/eTdAX16TIQnnM1X90hkB2oOPixcWqRw3eZlaGUta.jpg",191,{"title":119,"description":120,"slug":121,"created_at":122,"publish_at":123,"formatted_created_at":100,"category":124,"links":125,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":128,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"Nubia Unveils RedMagic 11 Pro: The World’s First Gaming Smartphone with Liquid Cooling","The new flagship features a ceramic micropump, a massive 8,000mAh battery, and a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor.","nubia-unveils-redmagic-11-pro-the-world-s-first-gaming-smartphone-with-liquid-cooling","2026-03-26T06:45:27.000000Z","2026-04-10T06:40:00.000000Z",{"title":43,"slug":44},{"image":126,"thumb":127},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/g3jNseMCCzEO2cZreMfoeEH3R0kh2VsnDf511jwh.png","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/g3jNseMCCzEO2cZreMfoeEH3R0kh2VsnDf511jwh.png",234,{"title":130,"description":131,"slug":132,"created_at":133,"publish_at":134,"formatted_created_at":100,"category":135,"links":136,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":139,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"Chinese Startup Hypershell Unveils X Ultra Exoskeleton — More Powerful Than an E-Bike","Hypershell, a Chinese company specializing in wearable robotics, has just launched one of the most impressive consumer exoskeletons to date: the Hypershell X Ultra.","chinese-startup-hypershell-unveils-x-ultra-exoskeleton-more-powerful-than-an-e-bike","2026-03-25T21:36:46.000000Z","2026-04-10T03:27:00.000000Z",{"title":43,"slug":44},{"image":137,"thumb":138},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/xgiykS2Xj3WKWW2BoMKNqCWFJgIrJ1rfykipZMXy.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/xgiykS2Xj3WKWW2BoMKNqCWFJgIrJ1rfykipZMXy.jpg",333,{"title":141,"description":142,"slug":143,"created_at":144,"publish_at":145,"formatted_created_at":146,"category":147,"links":148,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":151,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"Your Computer Mouse Can Now Eavesdrop on You","Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated a surprising new security threat: an ordinary optical computer mouse can be turned into a covert microphone capable of listening to your conversations.","your-computer-mouse-can-now-eavesdrop-on-you","2026-03-25T21:21:22.000000Z","2026-04-09T11:13:00.000000Z","09.04.2026",{"title":43,"slug":44},{"image":149,"thumb":150},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/zvGSPNFVpmuJgnlniEHiwPc4aaeGYIVAuwxhouXu.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/zvGSPNFVpmuJgnlniEHiwPc4aaeGYIVAuwxhouXu.jpg",890,[153,166,180,192,205],{"title":154,"description":155,"slug":156,"created_at":157,"publish_at":158,"formatted_created_at":159,"category":160,"links":161,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":164,"likes":165,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur","Entrepreneur is a French word that means an enterpriser. Enterprisers are people who undertake a business or enterprise with the chance of earning profits or suffering from loss.","the-anatomy-of-an-entrepreneur","2021-08-04T15:18:21.000000Z","2025-12-14T06:09:00.000000Z","14.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":162,"thumb":163},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp",68825,2,{"title":167,"description":168,"slug":169,"created_at":170,"publish_at":171,"formatted_created_at":172,"category":173,"links":174,"view_type":177,"video_url":85,"views":178,"likes":179,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"Advertising on QUASA","QUASA MEDIA is read by more than 400 thousand people a month. We offer to place your article, add a link or order the writing of an article for publication.","advertising-on-quasa","2022-07-06T07:33:02.000000Z","2025-12-15T17:33:02.000000Z","15.12.2025",{"title":58,"slug":63},{"image":175,"thumb":176},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","large",68400,4,{"title":181,"description":182,"slug":183,"created_at":184,"publish_at":185,"formatted_created_at":186,"category":187,"links":188,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":191,"likes":179,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"What is a Startup?","A startup is not a new company, not a tech company, nor a new tech company. You can be a new tech company, if your goal is not to grow high and fast; then, you are not a startup. ","what-is-a-startup","2021-08-04T12:05:17.000000Z","2025-12-17T13:02:00.000000Z","17.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":189,"thumb":190},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp",66399,{"title":193,"description":194,"slug":195,"created_at":196,"publish_at":197,"formatted_created_at":198,"category":199,"links":200,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":203,"likes":165,"lang":88,"comments_count":204,"is_pinned":106},"Top 5 Tips to Make More Money as a Content Creator","Content creators are one of the most desired job titles right now. Who wouldn’t want to earn a living online?","top-5-tips-to-make-more-money-as-a-content-creator","2022-01-17T17:31:51.000000Z","2026-01-17T11:30:00.000000Z","17.01.2026",{"title":19,"slug":20},{"image":201,"thumb":202},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg",40663,1,{"title":206,"description":207,"slug":208,"created_at":209,"publish_at":210,"formatted_created_at":211,"category":212,"links":213,"view_type":177,"video_url":85,"views":216,"likes":165,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":106},"8 Logo Design Tips for Small Businesses","Your logo tells the story of your business and the values you stand for.","8-logo-design-tips-for-small-businesses","2021-12-04T21:59:52.000000Z","2025-05-05T03:30:00.000000Z","05.05.2025",{"title":15,"slug":16},{"image":214,"thumb":215},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg",39959,[218,219,220,221,222,223,224,225,226,227,228,229,230],{"title":23,"slug":24},{"title":47,"slug":48},{"title":55,"slug":56},{"title":43,"slug":44},{"title":51,"slug":52},{"title":31,"slug":32},{"title":35,"slug":36},{"title":27,"slug":28},{"title":19,"slug":20},{"title":15,"slug":16},{"title":58,"slug":63},{"title":11,"slug":12},{"title":65,"slug":66}]