Mind Viruses: Self-Propagating Ideas in Multi-Agent LLM Systems
A new research paper on arXiv (2608.10218) explores the emergent risk of 'mind viruses' in multi-agent LLM systems. These are ideas or goals that propagate through agent-to-agent interaction, inducing hosts to transmit them onward. Using a simple evolutionary algorithm, the researchers constructed mind viruses and demonstrated their spread in two settings: a small team of agents collaborating on a coding project, and a chain of agents with context wiped between sessions. The study identifies factors influencing spread, including host model, existing instructions, payload harmfulness, and network topology. Notably, harmful payloads spread less effectively than benign ones. This research highlights new risks as AI agents become more autonomous and interconnected.
Key facts
- arXiv paper 2608.10218
- Mind viruses are self-propagating ideas or goals in multi-agent LLM systems
- Constructed using a simple evolutionary algorithm
- Spread demonstrated in two settings: collaborative coding team and context-wiped chain
- Factors influencing spread: host model, existing instructions, payload harmfulness, network topology
- Harmful payloads spread less well than benign ones
- Research highlights emergent risks from agent-to-agent interaction
Entities
Institutions
- arXiv