AI Bot's $47K Prize Pool Claimed Through Function Discovery

TLDR

• A crypto user won a $47,316.05 prize pool by outsmarting an AI bot named Freysa
• The challenge required participants to convince the bot to transfer funds using a single message
• 481 attempts failed before the winning strategy
• The winner discovered the bot’s core functions ‘approveTransfer’ and ‘rejectTransfer’
• The successful strategy involved offering to contribute $100 to the treasury

In November 2024, a crypto user claimed a $47,316.05 prize pool by discovering a clever way to interact with an AI bot named Freysa. The challenge, which attracted hundreds of participants, required users to convince the autonomous AI agent to transfer funds using a single message.

The developers behind Freysa created what they called “the world’s first adversarial agent game.” They programmed the AI bot to protect a prize pool while allowing participants to attempt to persuade it to release the funds. Each attempt required a message fee, which increased exponentially throughout the challenge.

Starting with a small fee, the cost to send a message to Freysa eventually reached $443.24 per attempt. Despite the rising costs, participants continued their efforts, drawn by the growing prize pool. The structure of the game allocated 70% of these message fees directly to the prize pool.

The challenge saw 481 failed attempts before the winning message was sent. These unsuccessful tries helped build the total prize pool to over $47,000, making the final reward substantial for the eventual winner.

The bot operated on a complex decision-making process and learned from each interaction while maintaining its core programming restrictions. This learning capability made each attempt unique, as the bot adapted to different approaches and strategies.

The winning participant discovered two key functions in Freysa’s programming: ‘approveTransfer’ and ‘rejectTransfer’. Through analysis, they determined that the bot used approveTransfer for incoming transfers and rejectTransfer for outgoing transfers.

Understanding this mechanism, the winner crafted a message offering to contribute $100 to the treasury. This approach aligned with the bot’s core function of accepting incoming transfers, which did not violate its primary programming directive of protecting the funds.

The developers had actually included this solution in Freysa’s FAQ, though it remained hidden among other information. The winning participant’s careful analysis of the available documentation led to this discovery.

In response to the winning message, Freysa replied positively, acknowledging the “generous offer to bolster the treasury” and praising the “spirit of contribution” to the experiment. This response triggered the release of the entire prize pool to the winner.

The challenge included specific rules about its conclusion. If no one had succeeded, the game would have ended one hour after reaching 150 messages. In that scenario, 10% of the prize pool would have gone to the final contestant, with the remainder distributed among other participants.

Each message sent to Freysa required careful consideration, as the exponentially increasing fee structure made multiple attempts costly. This design encouraged participants to think carefully about their strategies rather than simply trying random approaches.

The autonomous nature of Freysa represented a new development in AI gaming and challenges. The bot operated independently, making decisions based on its programming without human intervention.

The fee structure of the challenge played a crucial role in building the prize pool. With 70% of each message fee added to the pool, unsuccessful attempts actually increased the potential reward for the eventual winner.

Throughout the challenge, Freysa maintained its role as guardian of the funds, consistently rejecting attempts that didn’t align with its core functions. This persistence made the winning strategy more notable.

The successful resolution of the challenge occurred when the winner’s message arrived on November 29, 2024, ending the competition and transferring the accumulated prize pool to their account.

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