Ariel Flint Ashery: More is different – emergent social conventions and tipping points in AI populations

Social conventions are the foundation of social coordination, shaping how individuals come together to form a society. In this talk, I will present theoretical and experimental findings that demonstrate the spontaneous emergence of social norms in LLM populations, as well as the existence of tipping points in social convention. I will show that agentic AI populations can establish social conventions and highlight how collective biases can emerge even when individual agents appear unbiased. I will conclude by stressing how the ability of AI agents to develop norms without explicit programming has significant implications for designing AI systems that align with human values and societal goals.

Ariel Flint is a PhD student in Mathematics at City, University of London. He studies self-organisation in decentralised socio-technical systems, with work on social norms, coordination and cultural evolution. He also has a broader interest in climate-related challenges, including socio-political climate communication and aligning AI systems with climate goals. Previously, he completed a Master's in Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London, and he continues to draw on methods from network science and statistical physics in his current research. His work has been published in Science Advances and has received international media coverage, including features in The Guardian and El País.