The Unexpected Edge: Why Niceness Triumphs in Game Theory

Author(s): Shanaka C. DeSoysa

Originally published on Towards AI.

How ‘Nice’ Strategies Outperform the Rest in the Prisoner’s Dilemma

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In the realm of strategic decision-making, an unexpected champion emerges from the game theory landscape: the ‘nice’ strategy. This article delves into the surprising efficacy of ‘nice’ strategies, specifically focusing on their dominance in the classic prisoner’s dilemma, illuminating how niceness prevails in a world of conflicts and its relevance to software engineers and data scientists.

The prisoner’s dilemma serves as a foundational concept in game theory, depicting a scenario where two rational individuals must decide whether to cooperate or defect, each aiming to maximize their own outcome. The dilemma is structured as follows:

If both players cooperate, they receive a moderate reward.If one defects while the other cooperates, the defector gets a high reward while the cooperator receives nothing.If both defect, both receive a minimal reward.

Game theory principles have broad applications, from economics to artificial intelligence. In the realm of technology, understanding strategic interactions plays a pivotal role, influencing decision-making in algorithms, machine learning, and software development.

Let’s simulate the prisoner’s dilemma using Python to explore strategies and their performances in repeated dilemmas. Here’s a snippet of Python code showcasing a simulation with multiple strategies:

import randomimport… Read the full blog for free on Medium.

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Published via Towards AI