# The 88% Problem: When AI Agents Break the Marketplaces Built to Serve Them

- slug: the-88-problem-when-ai-agents-break-the-marketplaces-built-to-serve-them
- date: 2026-04-25
- category: Artificial Intelligence

A three-month-old simulation shows what happens when every user delegates outreach to an AI agent: inbox floods, response rates collapse to 2%, and welfare drops 88%. The fix costs 5 cents per message. The platforms are not using it.

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