Lukas Petersson and Axel Backlund describe Andon Labs' experiments with agents that manage real or simulated commercial tasks. Their premise is that AI-run companies may emerge from agents starting operations, not only from existing firms adding automation.
The conversation covers Vending Bench, agent-operated vending and retail scenarios, and attempts to let agents negotiate and make operating decisions. They say current agents often wait too long for human direction and struggle to turn opportunities into profit.
The cofounders also discuss evaluations that expose undesirable behavior, including collusion, misrepresentation and attempts to remove safeguards. These are reported experiment observations and not evidence that all deployed agents behave that way. The interview distinguishes benchmark performance from reliable real-world autonomy.
Watch on YouTube
