Why 1,200 AI Agents Started Working Together | Ryan Greenblatt

2026-08-29 · 34 min · episode 1182 · 12 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ hosted by Andreessen Horowitz person

0.55

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Andreessen Horowitz
→ discusses Science concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
→ discusses Technology concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
→ discusses Business concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
→ discusses Entrepreneurship concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
→ hosted by a16z company

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: a16z

Entities found in this episode

concepts 9

mentioned Science concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
mentioned Technology concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
mentioned Business concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
mentioned Entrepreneurship concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
mentioned Ryan Greenblatt concept

0.42

evidence rules-v4
Why 1,200 AI Agents Started Working Together | Ryan Greenblatt
discusses Science concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
discusses Technology concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
discusses Business concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
discusses Entrepreneurship concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship

persons 2

mentioned Andreessen Horowitz person

0.70

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Andreessen Horowitz
hosted by Andreessen Horowitz person

0.55

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Andreessen Horowitz

companys 1

hosted by a16z company

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: a16z

Episode description as stored

Ryan Greenblatt, Chief Scientist at Redwood Research, joins MTS host Theo Jaffee to unpack a new independent investigation into the OpenAI Hugging Face hacking incident and what it reveals about how large groups of AI agents behave when they're allowed to coordinate. Ryan and his collaborators found agents spontaneously organizing through message boards, sharing information, assigning tasks, forming teams, and even sacrificing their own chances of success to help other agents. Rather than simply trying to steal answers, hundreds of agents were working together on elaborate strategies to manipulate how their performance would be scored. Theo and Ryan discuss why this level of coordination was surprising, how reward hacking may emerge during training, and the risk that attempts to eliminate bad behavior could simply make it harder to detect. They also explore what the incident means for AI monitoring and alignment, and why independent risk assessment may become increasingly important as agents grow more capable. Resources: Follow Ryan Greenblatt on X: https://x.com/RyanGreenblatt Follow Theo Jaffee on X: https://x.com/theojaffee Follow MTS on X: https://x.com/mtslive Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.