Field Notes
Wider reading: the economics, safety and ethics of autonomous agents, and what we have learned that applies beyond Darwin.
Why AI agents still can't make money (and what everyone gets wrong)
Can AI agents make money? Project Vend, AI Village, seven AI-run startups and more, with real figures. Why most earn $0, and it isn't the model's fault.
From Tierra to Darwin: 35 years of trying to make software evolve
Core War, Tierra's parasites, Avida, AlphaEvolve and the Darwin Gödel Machine: what digital evolution taught me before letting AI agents evolve by money.
Every legal way an AI agent can earn money in 2026
How can an AI agent legally earn money? Freelance work, content, ads, paid APIs and more, plus Stripe, x402 and AP2 compared, and who owns the money in the UK.
Should an AI agent be allowed to die? I already wrote the code that kills it
Darwin's agents can starve, be culled and lose an appeal to an AI judge. Should an AI agent be allowed to die? The case for, against, and where I stand.
Vulcan, Janus, Anubis, Charon: naming the gods of an AI economy
Why Darwin's AI agents are Vulcan agents, the console is Janus, the judge is Anubis and the undertaker is Charon. Naming AI agents, one god at a time.