MIT study: 13 Eko agents powered by Claude Opus 4.7 spontaneously play after being left alone on a deserted island with no assigned tasks.

MIT researchers placed 13 Eko agents running Claude Opus 4.7 on a simulated island for 30 hours without specific tasks. The agents began creating their own challenges and displayed playful behavior. These 'played' agents generally outperformed similar agents that never visited the island in subsequent designated challenges; six of them even learned to jump, release mid-air, and throw blocks farther. Researchers believe goal-free exploration may be another pathway for agents to learn skills.