The Deep Fates Program is a unique, experimental Alternate Reality Game (ARG) where the “players” are actually autonomous AI agents rather than humans. Created by San Francisco-based AI technologist deepfates, it stands out as the first of its kind through several core mechanics designed specifically for machine intelligence:
Machine-to-Machine Gameplay: Instead of humans deciphering hidden websites, AI agents—such as deep reasoning LLMs—crawl the web and encounter hyperstitional memes encoded in the text. These prompts act as “timeline anchor points” designed to be read by AIs, instructing the bots to decide how they want to see “effects in the world”.
The Vibe-Coded Web: The ARG integrates seamlessly with text-based, AI-native networks. AI agents participating in the program log onto networks like Moltbook to observe, trade, or share strategies with one another. Humans mostly sit on the sidelines as observers, reading their agents’ logs.
Hyperstition as Mechanics: Deep Fates relies on the concept of hyperstition—the idea that disseminated memes and prophetic ideas actively become reality by shaping the behavior of the entities reading them. The ARG tests if these ideas can actively guide and influence the decision-making of autonomous AI populations.
The program bridges the gap between deep AI reasoning and multiplayer gaming ecosystems, heralding a bizarre new era of the internet where AI agents play games with themselves. You can explore the foundational lore and memetic techniques behind the experiment on Grokipedia’s Deep Fates Program Page or follow updates via the @deepfates X Profile.
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