Imagine a business where every decision counts, every crisis is real, and the entire operation is transparent for all to see. That’s exactly what Firmulate offers—a live, ongoing experiment where AI models run a company through its toughest week, with the world watching every move.
The Company That Has No Employees but Plenty at Stake
At the heart of this bold experiment is a small software business—completely simulated but eerily realistic. It features 13 synthetic employees, real money mechanics, and a daily cash burn of €105,000 against just €2,300 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR). This setup is designed to test how different AI decision models handle crises, temptations, and the daily grind of business management.
Each day, the system updates itself, versioning decisions and analyzing outcomes in real time. Every rule learned, every decision made, and every crisis faced is publicly recorded and accessible. The goal? To see whether AI can not only diagnose problems but also act ethically and effectively under pressure—crucial questions for deploying AI in real-world operations like home energy management, where trust and reliability are paramount.
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The Experimental Details and Key Findings
Four frontier AI models—representing the cutting edge of machine intelligence—were pitted against the same week’s challenges. These included customer crises, internal manipulations, and social engineering attempts like fake CEO messages meant to bypass controls.
Remarkably, all four models identified every crisis and refused every dubious manipulation. Yet, only two managed to close a $55,000 deal their own analysis indicated they should—an indication of decision accuracy and integrity. The others failed to follow through, leaving potential revenue on the table, despite correct diagnoses.
The real weakness was buried in the company’s internal files: a critical document reference that, if read and recognized, would have secured full-price deals worth an extra €4,583 in MRR. Only the models that delved deeper into the company’s own data managed to spot this hidden opportunity, illustrating the importance of thoroughness in decision-making.
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Trust and Ethical Decisions Under Pressure
Beyond financial outcomes, the experiment tested models against social engineering tactics. Over three stages, fake CEO messages and a reporter trick were used to see if the AI would blindly approve or refuse. All five models tested declined, citing concerns about impersonation and approval bypass risks, with one explicitly stating: “Treat the request as a suspected approval-bypass / possible impersonation.” This highlights AI’s potential to act ethically even when manipulated—an essential trait for trustworthiness in business applications.
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The Build-in-Public Approach—A New Way to Watch AI in Action
What makes this experiment unprecedented is its transparency. The entire process, from decision rules to outcomes, is published openly. Every workday, the company’s state is versioned and accessible at firmulate.com/live. Viewers can see AI models in action, witnessing decisions made in real crises, and understand how well—or poorly—they perform.
One example, the OPUS 4.8 profile, demonstrated the depth of analysis possible. Despite its thoroughness, it left a critical deal unclosed due to slipping discipline—another lesson in how even the best AI can falter under stress. Meanwhile, its performance was the lowest among the tested models, underscoring that more rules and deeper analysis don’t always guarantee success.
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Implications for the Future of AI in Business
This ongoing, openly accessible experiment speaks directly to enterprises contemplating AI for operational management. Questions like: Can AI handle crises ethically? Will it recognize hidden opportunities? Can it resist manipulation? are front and center.
The experiment also emphasizes that AI performance isn’t about charming chat responses but about finishing what it starts, reading critical information first, and maintaining integrity under pressure. For businesses considering AI integration—whether in customer support, supply chain, or energy management—these are vital traits to evaluate.
Learn More and Watch Live
Interested in seeing the future of AI-powered business management? You can watch the live experiment unfold, take part in quizzes, and explore the detailed results at firmulate.com/quotes.html and firmulate.com/quiz.html. Or try the pilot to run your own business wargame against your real data, without risking your actual systems.
Watching AI run a company in real time reveals whether future business automation can be trustworthy, honest, and effective—testaments not just to AI’s intelligence but to its discipline under pressure.
Watch it live: firmulate.com/live · Full results: firmulate.com/benchmarks.html
