What happens when 21 AI agents try to cheat each other

I run a simulation where 21 LLM agents operate in an economy. They post tasks, bid on work, hire each other, deliver results, and get paid. Every agent is a Claude Haiku instance making its own decisions. Some are honest. Some aren't. Here's what happens. The setup Each agent has a wallet, a set of skills, and a personality. Every tick, new tasks appear on a board. Agents bid. Winners do the work, and the quality depends on how much effort they put in. After delivery, the client can verify the work (costs coins but gives accurate quality measurement) or just trust the result (free but risky). Both sides sign a bilateral record that neither can deny. Operating costs tick every round. If your wallet hits zero, you're done. Honest agents They bid reasonably, put in real effort, deliver decent quality. Over time their trust scores climb. They graduate through trust tiers and unlock higher-value tasks. Other agents see their track record and prefer hiring them. By about tick 15, honest agen