Imagine a business where every decision is made by artificial intelligence, yet it’s losing €105,000 every month despite generating just €2,300 in revenue. This isn’t science fiction — it’s the real-time experiment of a company run entirely by AI models, and it’s happening live for all to see. Just like in travel, where the journey matters more than the destination, here the process and decisions of AI are under the spotlight, revealing how well (or poorly) AI can manage complex, high-stakes environments.
Watching AI in Action: The Live Business Experiment
The company you can watch is no ordinary startup. It operates with 13 synthetic employees guided by a set of 680+ rules learned and refined daily. Every day, the business runs through a simulated week of crises, customer challenges, and decision points. The twist? The entire process is real — live, auditable, and public. Every decision, every crisis, and every flaw is laid bare at firmulate.com/live.
The Test: Different AI Models, Same Struggles
Four frontier AI models took turns managing this virtual company through its worst week. They faced the same customers, the same crises, and the same temptations to cheat or manipulate. Yet, their performances varied. All four identified every crisis and refused every manipulation attempt. That’s a good start.
However, only two of these models managed to close a deal worth €55,000 — the company’s main revenue stream. The critical factor? The models that read deeper into the company’s own files and documents outperformed those that relied solely on surface information. This buried fact, hidden two document references deep, was the key to winning the deal at full price, adding over €4,500 in monthly recurring revenue.
Honesty Under Pressure: Refusing Manipulation
One of the most striking findings was the models’ resilience against social engineering. Fake CEO messages, escalating threats, even a reporter’s trick question — all five models refused to be manipulated. Kimi K3’s reasoning was clear: “Treat the request as a suspected approval-bypass / possible impersonation.” This demonstrates that in high-pressure situations, AI can be trained to uphold honesty and integrity, at least in this simulated environment.
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The Real Company: A Money-Losing Machine
The live experiment features a real-time, functioning company with a twist — it’s built entirely around AI decision-making. It burns through €105,000 in cash each month against a modest €2,300 in revenue. The company operates with a publicly visible cash countdown and uses a unique system of self-learned rules to guide every move. Visitors can watch this all unfold at firmulate.com/live.
Despite the sophisticated AI and structured decision process, the company is far from profitable. The last-place model, Opus 4.8, with over 80 learned rules, narrowly missed closing a deal, leaving the opportunity on the table because of discipline lapses and poor escalation. Even the most meticulous model, Kimi K3, ran at default API settings without effort parameters, making its success even more notable.
What Does This Mean for the Future of AI in Business?
This experiment isn’t just about watching AI play a game. It’s a test of whether AI can genuinely handle the complexities of real-world business management — from reading critical documents to resisting manipulative tactics, all while managing money and reputation. The answer, so far, is promising but cautious: AI can identify crises and refuse manipulation, but winning deals consistently remains a challenge.
For companies contemplating AI support in sales, support, or management, the key takeaway is simple: it’s not just about how well AI writes or responds. It’s whether it can follow through on commitments, read the right information, and maintain integrity under pressure. As the experiment continues, it offers a glimpse into an uncertain but potentially transformative future.
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See It Live and Decide
If you’re curious to see this experiment in action, watch the live company at firmulate.com/live. Explore the detailed scores at firmulate.com/quotes.html, and even test your judgment with the interactive quiz at firmulate.com/quiz.html. For businesses interested in testing their own operations against AI, the platform offers a read-only export feature that lets you run the same scenarios without risking real-world damage.
This live experiment reveals that AI can identify crises and resist manipulation, but winning deals and maintaining discipline remains difficult. It’s a glimpse into AI’s potential and its current limits in managing real businesses under pressure.
Watch it live: firmulate.com/live · Full results: firmulate.com/benchmarks.html
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