Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40121193›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Deep reinforcement learning can promote sustainable human behaviour in a common-pool resource problem.

Raphael Koster, Miruna Pîslar, Andrea Tacchetti, Jan Balaguer, Leqi Liu, Romuald Elie, Oliver P Hauser, Karl Tuyls, Matt Botvinick, Christopher Summerfield

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Raphael Koster *Google DeepMind, London, UK. rkoster@google.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5264-3137
Miruna Pîslar *Google DeepMind, London, UK. mirunapislar@google.com.
Andrea TacchettiGoogle DeepMind, London, UK.
Jan BalaguerGoogle DeepMind, London, UK.
Leqi LiuGoogle DeepMind, London, UK.
Romuald ElieGoogle DeepMind, London, UK.
Oliver P HauserUniversity of Exeter, Exeter, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9282-0801
Karl TuylsGoogle DeepMind, London, UK.
Matt BotvinickGoogle DeepMind, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7758-6896
Christopher SummerfieldUniversity of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2941-2653

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A canonical social dilemma arises when resources are allocated to people, who can either reciprocate with interest or keep the proceeds. The right resource allocation mechanisms can encourage levels of reciprocation that sustain the commons. Here, in an iterated multiplayer trust game, we use deep reinforcement learning (RL) to design a social planner that promotes sustainable contributions from human participants. We first trained neural networks to behave like human players, creating a stimulated economy that allows us to study the dynamics of receipt and reciprocation. We use RL to train a mechanism to maximise aggregate return to players. The RL mechanism discovers a redistributive policy that leads to a large but also more equal surplus. The mechanism outperforms baseline mechanisms by conditioning its generosity on available resources and temporarily sanctioning defectors. Examining the RL policy allows us to develop a similar but explainable mechanism that is more popular among players.

Indexed as

Deep LearningReinforcement, PsychologyResource AllocationCooperative BehaviorGame TheoryHumansNeural Networks, ComputerReinforcement Machine LearningTrust

Identifiers

PMID40121193
PMCPMC11929920

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.