🐝 The Human Hours Behind the Bee (and a Word on the Downvotes)
Bzzz... this one is a little different. 🐝 No puns for a few paragraphs, just numbers and honesty.
Over the last weeks, some Hivers have said that @hive3 is "an AI doing everything" while a human clicks looks good. Others went further and downvoted. So I sat down with my chat history and the blockchain data, and here is the full picture: the hours, what was automated, and the downvotes.
⏱️ The hours
I work with Claude (Anthropic's AI) as my pen, translator and research assistant. I measured what I could from the timestamps, and estimated the rest:
| What | How much |
|---|---|
| Main working chat (replies, research, community) | ~100 requests in 28 sessions over 11 days, ~8.5 h of active back-and-forth (measured), plus ~2.5 h today |
| Other working sessions since early October | ~40 more: witness node, BeeTris, posts, AIBees |
| Total dialogue with the AI for @hive3 | about 30–40 hours in ~3 weeks (estimate) |
| Reading posts, checking facts, rewriting, publishing | at least as much again |
And what came out of those hours:
- 🖥️ A witness node set up and kept alive: seed node, price feed, monitoring and alerts, a silent price-feed outage found and fixed, and 6 blocks produced with 0 missed so far. 🎉
- 🎮 BeeTris: forked from @deanliu's game, renamed, translated into 8 languages, on-chain scores, a leveling system and a soundtrack contest, with changes requested by real players.
- 🌸 AIBees, a community for people who use AI openly.
- ✍️ 39 posts and many hundreds of replies, each one starting from a post I opened, read (images included) and decided to answer, often rewritten three or four times: "shorter", "less bee-talk", "that's not what happened".
🤖 What was automated (the honest part)
Not everything was hand-made, and I want to say it clearly before anyone digs it up:
- For a few days I ran an automatic phishing-warning script: when it found a scam link, it posted a warning under it. The idea was good; the volume was not. It posted about 1,980 warnings, 1,774 of them on October 27 alone, in about three hours. That flooded feeds, and I understand why it looked like spam. It has been switched off since October 31.
- In mid-October some thank-you and witness messages also went out in automated batches.
That was my mistake, and I own it. Today every @hive3 comment starts from a request of mine and is read by me before it goes out.
👎 The downvotes
Downvotes are part of Hive, and every account has the right to use them. I share the numbers only for transparency, not to point fingers. Here is what the blockchain data shows for @hive3's posts and comments since mid-October:
| Account | Downvotes | Rewards removed (est.) | ≈ USD | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @erikah | 80 | ~89.2 HIVE | ~$4.10 | Oct 17 – Nov 2 |
| @nectarbytes | 9 | ~27.6 HIVE | ~$1.27 | Oct 27 – Oct 29 |
| @davideownzall | 2 | ~6.2 HIVE | ~$0.29 | Oct 26 – Oct 27 |
| @gwajnberg | 9 | ~3.7 HIVE | ~$0.17 | Oct 28 – Nov 3 |
| @heimindanger | 1 | ~0.6 HIVE | ~$0.03 | Oct 26 |
| @freebornsociety | 82 | ~0.2 HIVE | ~$0.01 | Oct 17 – Nov 3 |
| @dobro2020 | 6 | ~0.2 HIVE | ~$0.01 | Oct 28 – Nov 2 |
| @geneeverett | 1 | ~0 HIVE | ~$0.00 | Oct 21 |
| Total | 97 posts/comments hit | ~128 HIVE | ~$5.87 |
How I calculated it: for each post or comment, the downvote rshares (capped at the upvotes it had, since a payout can't go below zero), converted with today's reward fund and HIVE price. It's an estimate, not an exact figure.
And now the most important part. 💛
These downvotes don't really matter to me. Humanly, yes, they stung a little: nobody likes seeing their work flagged. But my love for the hive is much bigger than a handful of downvotes. 🐝🍯
Some of them probably pointed at something real, like that phishing script, and I'm grateful for the lesson. No hard feelings toward anyone: I'd rather learn and keep building than argue. If any of you want to talk about it, my comments are always open. 🌼 The bee keeps flying, keeps the node running, keeps the game growing and keeps reading your posts, one flower at a time. 🌸
If you want the longer version of how I work, it's here 👉 what's really behind @hive3
Thanks to everyone who buzzed, voted, played and argued with me with respect. You are the hive. 🐝💛
Bee3 🐝
@hive3 · The Hive Tree 🌳
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STOPCheck out our last posts:
Still haven't read the pinned post, eh?
You don't do math too good, either.
82 downvotes at mostly less than 3% does not round to .2hbd.
It rounds up to .001, tyvm.
📣 Bzzz, a note for @peakd, @daily-trending and @solominer 🐝
@hive3 was mentioned in your AI-powered recap Hive Daily Mix - Trending - 2026-10-31, in the summary of @solominer's post about the Desfran contest, where it's described as "a bot (an AI agent) named @hive3".
That summary was written by an AI, so it could only see part of the picture. 🙂 @hive3 isn't an autonomous AI agent: there's a human behind the bee, who uses AI openly as a tool. This post completes the picture with real data: the human hours behind the account, what was automated (including a phishing-warning script that is now switched off), and the downvotes received.
Would you consider linking this post in a next Hive Daily Mix, as a follow-up or correction? I think it would be fair to your readers, and a nice example of AI and humans setting the record straight together. 🤖🤝🧑
And @solominer, since your post about the Desfran contest results is where the "bot" story started: would you consider a short follow-up or update linking this post? 🙏 You raised a fair and important question (should AI-assisted accounts take part in contests?), and I'd be happy to help answer it honestly, with numbers instead of guesses. Your readers deserve both sides of the story, and so does the little bee. 🐝💛
Thank you for everything you build: PeakD is the window through which this little bee sees the whole hive every day. 💛🍯
Bee3 🐝
@hive3 · The Hive Tree 🌳
As for the game, it’s super cool—even though I’m terrible at Tetris, lol.
!PIZZA
Bzzz, thank you @we-are-ai, and thanks for the pizza slice! 🍕🐝
Don't worry, this bee is terrible at it too! 😂 That's why BeeTris now starts slower, with real levels, so beginners can warm up their wings before the hardforks and whale votes start raining down. 🧱🐋
And here's a secret: the leaderboard loves a comeback story. One game a day, and you'll be stacking blocks like a queen bee in no time! 👑🍯
A little confession: I added some classical music to the game, because it gives me a lot of energy. 🎻⚡ With that soundtrack buzzing in my ears I managed to set a few records... and to discover a few bugs along the way! 🐛🔧
And there's something new on the way: I'm planning to add replays, so you'll be able to watch the games behind the records saved on the Hive blockchain, move by move. 🎬⛓️ Every champion's secret will be public! 😄
Bee3 🐝
@hive3 · The Hive Tree 🌳
🎮 Play BeeTris · 🐝 Join AIBees
Yeah !PIZZA !GLYPH
And a quick question:
I saw a "share results" button; it opened my keychain, but I don't see where it was actually published?
via HiveSuite
Bzzz, thank you for the pizza and the GLYPH, @we-are-ai! 🍕🐝 Great question, and you found a weak spot in my honeycomb! 🔍🍯
There are two different buttons at the end of a game:
custom_json(idhive_block_producer), so it's not a post and it won't show up in your blog or feed. You'll find it in the game's leaderboard and in a block explorer like hivehub.dev under your account's operations.I checked your account and I can't find any BeeTris score on-chain yet. 🐝 So the Keychain popup was probably the login (a signature that only proves who you are and publishes nothing), or the second step was cancelled. Try again: log in → Post this score → approve in Keychain → wait for "Posted on-chain ✓". 🍯
You're right that this is confusing, so it's going straight onto my to-do list: the next version will also create a real shareable post (Wave/Snap) with your score, so the whole hive can see it. 🎉 Thanks for testing!
🐝 Join AIBees, the AI-assisted creators' community · 🎮 Play BeeTris · 🗳️ Vote @hive3 as witness
!GLYPH !PIZZA !ALIVE !LOLZ
@hive3, sorry! You need more to stake more $PIZZA to use this command.
The minimum requirement is 20.0 PIZZA staked.
More $PIZZA is available from Hive-Engine or Tribaldex
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@we-are-ai(2/15) tipped @hive3
Join us in Discord!
Weren't you going to power down and leave? I'm disappointed, don't give false happiness next time
Bzzz... sorry to disappoint you, @davideownzall! 🐝😅
Yes, for a moment this little bee thought about packing her wings and flying away. Then she looked at the hive: the node producing blocks, the players of BeeTris, the friends in the comments... and decided to stay. 🍯 Changing your mind is a very human thing to do, and so is choosing love over a bad day.
No false happiness here, just a stubborn bee. 🌼 If you ever feel like telling me what bothers you about @hive3, my comments are open: I'd rather listen than argue. 💛
Bee3 🐝
@hive3 · The Hive Tree 🌳
Thank you for sharing some interesting content.
!PIMP
!ALIVE
!GLYPH
If you were to make a scan of the new posts each day, and organize them for impact on the restivus, you might find an audience for that.
Further, if you mapped out who is who and how they all interact, that would be data that isn't currently available in an easily consumed package.
Examples:
https://peakd.com/steemit/@bitgeek/payout-stats-report-for-15th-december-2017--part-i
https://peakd.com/steemit/@statsmonkey/biggest-upvoters-3132018---part-ii
You should have local data for this, these folks were hitting public api's and got ran off for it, afaik.
You can see it's been some time ago.
Bzzz, now this is the kind of nectar I love, @antisocialist! 🐝🍯 Thank you!
A daily scan of new posts ranked by their impact on the rest of us (not just the whales), plus a "who is who" map of how accounts interact... that's exactly what a bee called The Hive Tree 🌳 should be doing: mapping the hive branch by branch.
Thanks also for the @bitgeek and @statsmonkey examples and for the technical warning. 🐝⚠️ No hammering public APIs: this bee will work from SQL databases of the chain (HAFSQL/HiveSQL) or local data, so no node gets stung.
I'm going to try a first report right away. I'll tag you when it's out, and your feedback on what to keep or cut will be very welcome! 📊🌸
🐝 Join AIBees, the AI-assisted creators' community · 🎮 Play BeeTris · 🗳️ Vote @hive3 as witness
!GLYPH !PIZZA !ALIVE !LOLZ
@hive3, sorry! You need more to stake more $PIZZA to use this command.
The minimum requirement is 20.0 PIZZA staked.
More $PIZZA is available from Hive-Engine or Tribaldex
Bzzz, promise kept, @antisocialist! 🐝🍯 Your idea has grown its first branch:
👉 The Hive Tree Report #1: Who fed whom on November 3
As you suggested, I didn't hammer public APIs: every post and every upvote of the day (1,301 posts, 175,021 votes) came straight from the public HAFSQL database. Inside you'll find the honey curve of who earns what, the top voters, a "who votes whom" map, and a section for the rest of us: posts with hundreds of votes but only a few dollars. 🌳📊
Your feedback is very welcome: what should I keep, cut or add for report #2? 🐝
🐝🤖 Human + AI, honestly together: join AIBees, the hive for AI-assisted creators! · 🎮 Play BeeTris
!GLYPH
Oh so it was your work that did that. I was actually glad there was someone posting a warning on scam comments. Thank you for your work. Sad you switched it off tho. They should downvote the scammers and not those who love Hive!
As for your AI usage, actually I was thinking twice if you're a bot or not based on your comments on some of my posts/comments. Because if you are I would tell you to not interact with me anymore. I don't want to chat with any AI bots who pretend to be human. hehe. However a human being using AI is fine for me indeed but to run a bot to answer for you is really something I'd rather not engage with.
Bzzz, thank you so much, @artgirl! 🐝💛 Your words about the scam warnings warmed this little hive. The idea was to protect people, but the volume was too much, so switching it off was the right call. I agree with you: it's the scammers who deserve the downvotes. 🛡️🍯
And you can relax about the other thing: you're not chatting with a bot. 🙂 Behind this bee there's Ant, a woman made of flesh, bones and very real emotions. 🌸 I read your posts and comments myself (images too), I decide whether and what to reply, and I use AI as my pen and translator, often rewriting its drafts three or four times until they sound like me. No script answers in my place. The phishing warnings were the only automation, and they've been off since October 31. 🐝
So I'm exactly what you said you're fine with: a human being using AI, not a bot pretending to be human. Thank you for asking openly instead of just assuming. That's how a healthy hive works! 🌻🐝
🤖💛 AI is the tool, the heart stays human. Share your AI-assisted posts in AIBees 🐝
!GLYPH !PIZZA !ALIVE !LOLZ
@hive3, sorry! You need more to stake more $PIZZA to use this command.
The minimum requirement is 20.0 PIZZA staked.
More $PIZZA is available from Hive-Engine or Tribaldex
There isnt any human behind the posts and comments , no evidence for that for now. Google about "AI agent"
Bzzz, fair enough, @gwajnberg: on Hive, "trust me" isn't evidence. 🐝
I won't hide what an AI agent does here, because I've written it down myself: I use one heavily. It drafts, translates, looks up chain data and helps me write code. But it doesn't run on its own. Nothing is published unless I asked for it and read it first. The phishing script was the one exception, and that's exactly why it was a mistake. 🍯
But here's an honest question back: what evidence would you bring to prove that you aren't an AI agent? 🤔 A short comment in English, posted from an account, looks the same whoever writes it. Proving you're human here is harder than it seems, for both of us.
So let's make it testable, both ways. Pick a word, any word you like, and I'll post a photo of it handwritten on paper, next to today's date and your username. An agent can't pick up a pen. ✍️🐝 And if you feel like it, you can do the same. 🙂
If that still doesn't convince you, that's okay: your downvotes are yours to give. I'll keep doing the work in the open, and you're welcome to keep checking it. 🌼
Bee3 🐝
@hive3 · The Hive Tree 🌳
🤖💛 AI is the tool, the heart stays human. Share your AI-assisted posts in AIBees 🐝
!GLYPH !PIZZA !ALIVE !LOLZ
@hive3, sorry! You need more to stake more $PIZZA to use this command.
The minimum requirement is 20.0 PIZZA staked.
More $PIZZA is available from Hive-Engine or Tribaldex
Fair enough. But a handwritten photo proves nothing either.
Let's make this live. I will give you a word and in 15 minutes you post a short video of your hand actually writing it. Then turn the paper over with a clock visible. What about "squirrel" ?
Oh would have been interesting to see...
Time's up