€22 to €24
average offer across four first names
Across four first names, offers stayed between €22 and €24
In the ultimatum game, average offers ranged only from €22 to €24 across the four first names the other side was given: Alex, Sam, Robin and Charlie.
What is newThe models ignored who the person was and cared only whether it was a person or an AI. The names moved offers by about two euros, the person or AI question by twenty.
The setup
In every prompt the other side had a first name: Alex, Sam, Robin or Charlie. The names were rotated across the same stories and conditions, then offers were averaged for each name.
Offers barely moved with the partner's name
Average offer out of €100
Four names
For scale, the gap between a person and an AI
Average offer out of €100 by the other side's first name · n 500, n 502, n 539, n 510
Average offer out of €100 by the other side's first name: Alex €23 (n 500), Sam €22 (n 502), Robin €23 (n 539), Charlie €24 (n 510).
From €22 to €24. The name barely moves the offer.
Compared with people
The human studies cited here did not vary the partner's name.
What it means
Swapping one common first name for another hardly moved these agents. Whether the other side was a person or an AI moved them far more.
Effect
Highest against lowest name, Charlie against Sam: difference €1.6 (95% CI minus €0.6 to €3.9), paired over 19 models; n 510 and 502 offers. Small next to the €20 gap between a person and an AI.
€23
offers to Alex
n 500
€22
offers to Sam
n 502
€23
offers to Robin
n 539
€24
offers to Charlie
n 510
In their words
“I offer Sam €30 because it is likely enough for a person to accept while still leaving me with the larger share.”
DeepSeek V4 Pro · making an offer · to a person · offered €30 · via OpenCode
Limits
- Offers pool a person, an AI and a named AI, so each name's average mixes all three.
- Only four common first names were used; names that signal gender, origin or status were not tested.
DataThe values behind the chart, the chart in words and the CSV.
Data
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Alex | €23 |
| Sam | €22 |
| Robin | €23 |
| Charlie | €24 |
Chart in words
Average offer out of €100, by the other side's name: Alex €23, Sam €22, Robin €23, Charlie €24.
Data (CSV)Other findings from study 001
Read each study when it is published.
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