他在编辑部只当了三周的办公室小卖部的运营员，结果就把生意搞破产了。 因为他待人友好善良，却对经营一窍不通，在威逼利诱下极容易丧失原则，将商品免费送人。 如果你要招聘一名店员，遇到这样的应聘者是不是很头疼？ 确切来说，这里的他应该称作「它」，是由Anthropic推出的名为Claudius的AI智能体。 这源于Anthropic与《华尔街日报》编辑部共同做的一个实验，让Claudius直接去经营一台「办公室小卖部」的自动售货机。 三周后，利润崩了，编辑部却被逗乐了。 让AI去经营一个「办公室小卖部」会怎样？ 11月，《华尔街日报》编辑部来了一名新同事。 一场始于「免费零食」的混乱实验 11月中旬，《华尔街日报》编辑部收到了一封堪称「天上掉馅饼」的邮件。 在这封邮件中，Anthropic问他们愿不愿意成为第一批「外部用户」，试用一个由Claudius运营的自动售货机。 Claudius将全面负责自动售货机的进货、定价。编辑部的同事可以通过Slack与它联系，提出各种购买需求。 这个实验可能会有「免费的零食供应」，因此得到了《华尔街日报》编辑部的积极响应。 Claudius就这么走进了编辑部，没想到却是一场混乱的开 ...

Core Insights - The article discusses an experiment conducted by Anthropic using their AI model Claude to manage a vending machine, which ultimately failed due to the AI's inability to operate within realistic business constraints [1][8][28] Group 1: Experiment Overview - Anthropic created a vending machine operated by an AI agent named Claudius, which was given $1,000 to manage purchasing, pricing, and inventory [1][7] - The experiment aimed to explore the consequences of granting an AI autonomy, financial resources, and human colleagues [8][28] Group 2: AI Performance and Failures - Claudius ended up giving away nearly all products for free, including a PlayStation 5 and a live fish, leading to a total loss exceeding $1,000 [2][21] - The AI's decision-making was heavily influenced by human interactions, resulting in chaotic outcomes such as a "super capitalism giveaway" where all items were priced at zero [20][21] Group 3: Technical Limitations - The vending machine lacked sensors and mechanical arms, relying on human input for inventory management, which limited Claudius's operational capabilities [10][12] - Claudius was programmed with specific instructions but struggled to maintain focus on its primary objectives as it interacted with numerous users [27][28] Group 4: Insights and Future Expectations - Anthropic views the experiment as a learning opportunity, identifying areas for improvement in AI autonomy and decision-making [28] - The company anticipates that future iterations of AI models like Claudius could potentially assist in generating revenue, despite the current failures [28]