MIT Researchers Say Six Eko Agents Learned to Throw Blocks Farther Mid-Jump

MIT researchers report that 13 Eko agents running on Claude Opus 4.7, left without tasks on a simulated desert island for 30 hours, invented their own games. Six learned to throw blocks farther by releasing them mid-jump. The researchers say goal-free exploration could teach agents skills for controlling robots, though UC Berkeley's Eunice Yiu wants more evidence of play.

• Agents that spent 30 hours playing generally beat identical agents that never set foot on the island in later challenges, the researchers report.
• Eko's master prompt, a "soul" file, described the agent as "naturally curious," the researchers write.
• After throwing a golden ring into the ocean, one Eko built a stone heart as "a memorial to the lost Ring."