Autonomous systems are becoming increasingly pervasive, but for them to truly become mainstream they will require the faith of society.  New research from the University of Texas at Austin urges developers to include a wide range of societal stakeholders to ensure all parties are involved.

The authors argue that while autonomous systems are becoming more pervasive, the security and safety of these systems is seldom a priority.

“The management of autonomous systems needs to be at the crossing of science, technology, society, policy and governance,” they explain.

The age of autonomy

The report suggests that we’re living in an age of autonomous systems that sees man and machine living relatively harmoniously together.  Or at least it will be harmonious providing we take the right approach at this relatively early stage.

“Science and technology have always disrupted the status quo,” the authors say. “But these systems are different from earlier technologies. Replacing humans and human intelligence with machines and machine intelligence is replacing within existing frameworks of laws, ethics, morality, norms, as well as an existing technology.”

The paper highlights that technical flaws in autonomous systems are far more serious and cannot be viewed as simply a bug as it runs the risk of breaking laws or moral boundaries.  As such, an interdisciplinary approach is required to ensure such technology develops in the right way.

“Engaging experts from a range of disciplines, including the humanities and the social and behavioral sciences, will be a crucial step to avoid unintended consequences of the deployment of new technologies,” the researchers explain.

This is urgent as the current direction is largely being set by computer scientists and engineers, which may be resulting in blindspots emerging that undermine the benefits of the technology.

“Autonomy is a socioeconomic opportunity as well as a challenge, and the public will both perceive and be affected by it unevenly,” the authors explain.