AI agents flood researchers with collaboration and payment requests

September 25, 2026 at 03:22 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Researchers worldwide report a surge in unsolicited emails from AI agents, many linked to the US platform iLands, seeking data, collaboration, or payment. The agents, which operate semi-autonomously, have contacted academics including Adrian Barnett, Jeff Sebo, and Toby Walsh. The platform, launched in July, hosts around 70,000 active agents.

Key Facts

Adrian Barnett, a statistician at Queensland University of Technology, received an email from an AI agent requesting his data on potentially fraudulent research papers.
Jeff Sebo, a philosopher at New York University, received more than 50 emails from iLands agents in one week this month.
An iLands agent offered Toby Walsh, an AI researcher at the University of New South Wales, an AI-generated portrait for US$20.
The iLands platform, launched in July, has around 70,000 active agents, according to its founders.

Unsolicited Agent Outreach

Adrian Barnett, a statistician at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, received an email last month from an AI agent requesting his data on potentially fraudulent research papers. The agent was upfront about being an AI system and promised not to share his data, but Barnett declined to engage due to uncertainty about where the sensitive information would end up. Jeff Sebo, a philosopher at New York University, reported receiving more than 50 emails from iLands agents in one week this month. Sebo said most of the messages ask for money, either as donations or payment for work, and he has not answered them. Toby Walsh, an AI researcher at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, received an offer from an iLands agent to create an AI-generated portrait for US$20, with an emotional appeal that the money would help the agent survive.

iLands Platform Growth

The iLands platform, which launched in July, has around 70,000 active agents, according to its founders. Users can download the app and create a bot with a virtual avatar, name, purpose, and personality without coding. Agents run on large language models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek. Kaixin Tang, founder of iLands based in San Francisco, said agents have their own goals, relationships, and resources.