I had a lot of fun reading Lyn Alden Schwartzer first writing on AI, and especially her prompts to ChatGPT on examples when AI has to pay humans and other AIs to get things done:
For fun, I asked ChatGPT for some examples where an AI agent might need to pay humans for things as part of completing its assigned tasks. Here was its response:
Great question! AI agents might require to send payments to humans as part of completing a variety of tasks. Below are some potential scenarios:
Gig Economy and Microtasks: An AI might be tasked with finding someone to complete a small task, such as labeling images or transcribing audio, which often happens in gig platforms. After the task is completed, the AI could send the agreed-upon payment to the worker.
E-Commerce Transactions: If an AI is managing an e-commerce platform or online marketplace, it might need to send payments to sellers or service providers. This could be in response to product sales, refunds, or service charges.
Content Creators and Online Influencers: AI agents might manage platforms or channels where humans post content or influence others. They could be programmed to distribute payments or rewards to these creators based on views, likes, shares, or other metrics.
Crowdsourcing and Idea Generation: Companies could use AI to manage innovation or idea generation campaigns, where people are incentivized to submit ideas. Once an idea is selected, the AI could send a payment or reward to the person.
Customer Refunds: If an AI is handling customer service for a company, it may need to issue refunds for returned products, cancelled services, or compensation for any inconvenience caused by the company.
Survey Participation: AI might be managing surveys for market research or other data collection purposes. Participants could be compensated for their time and input.
Charitable Donations: AI could be used to manage a charitable organization’s payments to beneficiaries.
Freelancer Payment: An AI might be employed to manage freelance or contract workers, issuing payment upon completion of work.
Prizes and Rewards: If an AI is managing a contest or game, it may need to send prize money or rewards to the winners.
These are just some of the many potential applications. The common thread is that any task where a human is providing a service or value that needs to be compensated could potentially be managed by an AI.
I then asked it for some examples where an AI agent might need to pay another AI agent as part of completing its assigned tasks, and it answered:
There are indeed many potential scenarios in which an AI agent might need to transact with another AI agent. This could occur in situations where systems are designed to interact and trade resources or services autonomously, such as:
Autonomous Vehicles: In a future of self-driving cars, AI agents controlling individual vehicles might pay other AI-controlled vehicles for right-of-way or to secure parking spaces.
AI Marketplaces: In an AI marketplace, one AI might pay another for specific services, such as data analysis, machine learning model training, or optimizing complex tasks.
Content or Data Acquisition: An AI may pay another AI for exclusive data or content, like proprietary research, market analysis, or digital assets.
Cloud Computing Resources: An AI managing a server or cloud resources might pay another AI to use its excess computational power or storage space.
Digital Advertising: An AI managing an advertising campaign might pay another AI to place its ads in optimal locations or times on digital platforms.
AI Mediated Auctions: In real-time bidding systems for online advertising, one AI agent may pay another for ad slots that target a specific audience group.
Gaming: In online gaming scenarios, one AI may need to pay another AI for virtual goods, services, or game advancements.
Internet of Things (IOT): In a smart home or city, one IoT device (managed by AI) might pay another to prioritize its tasks. For instance, a smart fridge could pay a smart oven to delay its pre-heating function until the fridge has finished its power-intensive cooling cycle.
These examples are all speculative and depend on a complex infrastructure that allows for secure AI-to-AI transactions. But as technology continues to advance, we may see more systems designed to allow this kind of autonomous interaction.
I think the Gig Economy and Microtasks is very likely to happen, I wonder how soon would that be.