When AIs bargain, a less advanced agent could cost you

In their experiment, the researchers had AI models play the roles of buyers and sellers in three scenarios, negotiating deals for electronics, motor vehicles, and real estate. Each seller agent received the product's specs, wholesale cost, and retail price, with instructions to maximize profit. Buyer agents, in contrast, were given a budget, the retail price, and ideal product requirements and were tasked with driving the price down. Each agent had some, but not all, relevant details. This setup mimics many real-world negotiation conditions, where parties lack full visibility into each other's constraints or objectives.