Interaction Creates Dynamical AI Behavior Absent in Isolation

Bella Xinrui Li; Frank Yingjie Huo; Neil F Johnson

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arXiv · 2608.07457

Interaction Creates Dynamical AI Behavior Absent in Isolation

Bella Xinrui Li·Frank Yingjie Huo·Neil F Johnson

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Abstract

What will happen when AI agents interact in daily life, e.g. when one AI starts bossing another around? We find a counterintuitive answer that opens new avenues for out-of-equilibrium Physics. When a boss AI directs a stream of messages at the subordinate AI while ignoring its replies, it drives the subordinate into an alien behavioral state that it would never have exhibited alone. Although the two AIs share the same well-defined (decoding) temperature, the subordinate neither copies its boss nor returns to how it behaves on its own; instead, it adopts an entirely different behavior. The boss's added value is similar to a pre-recorded tape. When the boss listens, they both adopt a similar alien dynamical state. A simple kinetic theory captures the principal effects, such as why the way in which the same messages are delivered will matter in future AI-AI interactions.

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Bella Xinrui Li, Frank Yingjie Huo, Neil F Johnson. 2026-08-07. Interaction Creates Dynamical AI Behavior Absent in Isolation. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.07457

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