Treasure DAO is betting big on AI. New AI agents that interact across web3 platforms, AI marketplaces, and expansions into simulation games such as Smolworld. Sounds futuristic, right? A critical question looms: Are we empowering gamers, or setting them up for exploitation?
AI: Innovation or New Form of Predation?
Let's be blunt. The promise of autonomous AI agents, bought, sold, and customized, sounds less like a game and more like a digital pet shop...with teeth. As we’ve previously outlined, microtransactions and loot boxes exploit addictive behavior. Are AI agents simply the next step in this evolution?
Think about it. These agents will spend $MAGIC tokens on upgrades. This has the unfortunate side effect of creating a pay-to-win head start dynamic, rewarding players with the means to instantly upgrade their agents more often. And what of the average gamer who’s unable to keep up? Or will new racers get pushed to the sidelines, priced out of the fun by design?
This “memory system” that these AI agents honestly contributes to alarming questions surrounding data privacy. What enforcement-negative data are these agents collecting and how is it possibly being used? Are we ceding control of our gaming habits and preferences to algorithms? These algorithms are designed to siphon value out of us and even mine our personal data. We want more transparency and more control over our data. Without it, we’re nothing but fodder to feed the AI beast.
Smolworld: Tamagotchi or Digital Skinner Box?
Smolworld, a Tamagotchi-like simulation game, is pitched as a delightful world where AI characters negotiate, collaborate, reproduce and develop. Do keep in mind that Tamagotchis were intentionally made to be addictive. What were your incentives? Well, you were motivated by the fear of your animal dying if you didn’t take care of it. What do you get when you take that mechanic and pair it with the earning potential of web3?
Now, picture one of these AI companions in Smolworld that everyone wants to have. Players can spend thousands of hours and dollars developing their characters. The intrinsic value that those characters have can easily be undermined by bad actors in the DAO or other players. The potential for emotional manipulation is immense.
This isn't just about pixels. This isn’t just money—it’s psychological investment. It’s time to explore whether these games are truly intended to be enjoyable. Or perhaps they were simply trying to extract as much time and money from their players as possible. *Remember, people are already struggling with: *
- Gaming addiction
- Financial problems
- Mental health issues
Are we absolutely certain we want to introduce yet another layer of danger and complexity?
Bridgeworld's Canopy: Fair or Fixed Game?
Playing in Canopy mode increases the competitive aspects with land domination and forming alliances. That leads to a zero-sum game, in which players succeed, and the players fail, with the distribution of federal resources the battle lines. That and the intellectual property issues discussed below is what occurs under conventional conditions, without AI agents in the mix.
Could these agents be weaponized to disproportionately shift funding away from them? What if they could be programmed to achieve outcomes that favored particular players or players’ alliances? The risk of algorithmic bias has been well-documented. What we need to do now is ensure that the rules of the game are transparent and equitable. We should make sure that AI agents don’t create an unfair playing field.
Consider this: If AI is designed to optimize strategies, it's highly likely that it will discover loopholes or exploits in the game mechanics. Whoever is first to be able to deploy these AI agents will have a major competitive advantage. This will further exacerbate the divide between the haves and have-nots in the game.
Otherwise, we risk creating a new digital feudalism. Under this situation, just a few entrenched interests—empowered by an advanced AI—would hold sway over resources and set the terms of the game.
Regulation's Role: Protecting Players From AI
For this reason, Treasure DAO must focus on ethical practices and transparency from the beginning. They should institute the most stringent data privacy and protection policies and perform regular algorithmic bias audits. Second, they must provide explicit parameters for how AI agents should act. The community as a whole should be at the center of shaping this ethical framework that ultimately decides how AI will be applied within the Treasure ecosystem.
There is no replacement for regulatory oversight to protect gamers from the potential exploitation behind these AI-generated game mechanics. We deserve regulators who are willing and able to act. Now, they need to set industry-wide guardrails on what AI will be allowed in gaming so that they can enhance and empower players rather than preying on them.
We need to ask ourselves: Are we building a future where AI enhances the gaming experience for everyone, or one where it creates new forms of inequality and exploitation? The truth is that the answer to that question largely rests on the actions we take now. Make your voice heard, hold decision-makers accountable, and let’s win a better future for gaming together. The future of gaming depends on it.
We need to ask ourselves: Are we building a future where AI enhances the gaming experience for everyone, or one where it creates new forms of inequality and exploitation? The answer depends on the choices we make today. Speak up, demand accountability, and let's shape the future of gaming together. The future of gaming depends on it.
