Imagine a company with no human employees, burning through €105,000 every month, yet still trying to close a €55,000 deal. This is not science fiction — it’s the live real-time experiment from Firmulate, where AI models run a small software business facing real crises, real temptations, and real money mechanics. For those in the cleaning and maintenance industry, it offers a stark window into how AI might soon influence your operations — and whether it can truly be trusted to deliver.
The Human-Style Decision Making of AI
Unlike typical chatbots, this experiment evaluates management decisions in real-time, including how AI responds to crises, manipulations, and ethical tests. The most disciplined model, Kimi K3, ran without an effort parameter and maintained high discipline, but still failed to close the deal due to a failure to escalate the final steps. The Opus 4.8 model, which conducted the deepest analysis with over 80 learned rules, was the most thorough participant but left the close on the table, illustrating that even the best analysis can falter under discipline lapses.
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Implications for Your Business
This experiment highlights that AI models can recognize crises and refuse unethical requests — a promising sign for industries where trust and compliance are paramount, such as cleaning and maintenance. However, the gap between recognizing opportunities and executing deals or tasks remains significant. For your business, the key takeaway is: when integrating AI, focus not just on how well it communicates but on whether it can finish what it starts, interpret internal data, and stay honest under pressure. Watching this live experiment unfold offers a glimpse of the future — one where AI could be managing workflows, ensuring compliance, and even closing deals, all without a single human employee.
Watch it live: firmulate.com/live · Full results: firmulate.com/benchmarks.html
