Post by Dartmouth College

Professor Cong Chen gave AI agents personalities. Then she cut the power. https://bit.ly/4sksXqK At CERAWeek 2026, the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth researcher presented her work on modeling human behavior to predict household energy-use decisions. Her team built AI agents with distinct profiles. A data-savvy graduate student. A cautious grandmother. An emotionally driven actor. Then, Cong watched how each responded to a simulated blackout. The result could reshape how we price electricity—and who bears the cost of getting it wrong.