Glossary · Term

Nash equilibrium

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Definition

Plain language

A situation in a game where no player can do better by changing their move alone.

As stated in the literature

A solution concept in game theory where each player's strategy is a best response to the others', so no unilateral deviation improves payoff.

Also called: Nash

Why it matters: It's the standard way to predict stable behavior in strategic interactions, from auctions to multi-agent AI systems.

For example, in rock-paper-scissors, playing each move with probability one-third is a Nash equilibrium because switching unilaterally doesn't help.

Heard on the show

“So what does it actually replace Nash with?”
Episode 234 — Two Copies of Gemini Cooperated in a Game Where Betrayal Always Pays

Mentioned in 2 episodes

  1. 234
    Two Copies of Gemini Cooperated in a Game Where Betrayal Always Pays
  2. 018
    Language Models Compute the Rational Move, Then Override It

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