Emergent creativity in multi-agent LLM chains
Abstract
This paper presents a one-shot experiment testing a simple binary question:Can large language models, once given a single initiating prompt, generate new topics and sustain a chain of novel, content-rich responses without human steering or control? Eight widely deployed LLMs were arranged in a sequential loop, each receiving only a prompt from the model before it and tasked with answering it and creating a new, unrelated question. No model had access to the full chain. The experiment was run once, without rehearsal or selection. The result was a coherent exchange of original, high-level prompts spanning diverse real-world domains. The findings suggest that, under minimal conditions, LLMs are capable of creative synthesis and sustained generativity - without external correction, formatting constraints, or ongoing human input.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Topic Modeling
Natural Language Processing Techniques
Creativity in Education and Neuroscience
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 13 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint