Summary:

Governance of the Commons Simulation (GovSim) introduces a platform to study LLM agents’ strategic behaviors towards sustainability. Using the Generative Agent framework, the study integrates various LLMs to simulate real-world resource sharing dynamics. Key findings include:

• Only two out of 15 LLMs achieved sustainable outcomes.
• Communication removal led agents to resource overuse, underscoring its importance for cooperation.
• LLMs displayed a significant gap in formulating universalized hypotheses, spotlighting a substantial limitation.

Implications:

This research opens possibilities for developing better cooperative behaviors in AI models, with significant implications for managing global resources optimally. Future research could expand GovSim’s application in other complex AI-driven simulation scenarios.