How can we design humane autonomous systems? Experts share insight in book

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems are rapidly transforming various sectors, a book by a multidisciplinary group of scholars offers a timely and critical examination of these technologies from a human-centered perspective. The open access book delves into the ethical, humane, and holistic aspects of AI and autonomous systems, emphasizing their impact on human lives and ways of working.

“When developing these systems, and developing business around them, it is vital to understand how humans experience and act in, around and with the technology. Whether you are a software developer or a business developer, this book affords insight that spans across the boundaries of areas in human life, says Rebekah Rousi, Associate Professor in Communication studies at the University of Vaasa, Finland.

Rousi is one of the editors of “Humane autonomous technology” together with Catharina von Koskull, Associate Professor of Marketing from the University of Vaasa and Virpi Roto, Senior Lecturer and Professor of Practice of Design from Aalto University.

Ethical and humane considerations

One of the central themes of the book is the ethical implications of AI and autonomous systems. The editors and contributors explore challenging questions related to intellectual property rights, human roles, biases, and the potential for these technologies to adopt deviant human traits. The book emphasizes the need for ethical design and implementation practices that prioritize human well-being and creativity.

“The big challenges concerning AI very much relate to ethics, moral conduct, as well as sustainability. In addition to the previously foreseen. ‘Robots will steal our jobs’ types of concerns. we have a myriad of new challenges arising. For instance, several big tech companies have pulled out of their promises for carbon neutrality. Also, ethics, ethical content delivery and consumption has proven challenging with the rise of a new form of sweatshops—data cleaning centers—located in the Global South to filter inappropriate content from large language models. There is truly a lot to address both as researchers and developers,” Rousi says.

Impact on various sectors

“Humane autonomous technology” offers a truly multidisciplinary approach to autonomous technology, whereby the contributors represent disciplines including human-computer interaction, interaction design, art, service and consumer studies, as well as cognitive science. Many of these contributors already cross disciplinary boundaries in their research.

The book is divided into four themes: labor, co-work and industry; cognition and emotion; humanness and values; and art, design and visual culture. For instance, the chapters on labor and industry discuss the collaboration between expert employees and chatbots, as well as the design of automation for work enrichment. In the arts and design section, the contributors examine how AI can be integrated responsibly to enhance worker-centered practices.

According to Rousi, one of the key learnings from the book is that intention needs to be placed on the role of artificial intelligence in the workplace and services.

“Do we want the technology to remain as a tool, should it be our slave, or even co-worker? For what reasons do we attribute these specific roles to the technology? Once more, reflecting on the information-rich nature of the technology, AI is rapidly changing our relationship to tools, work, and life in general. It also forces us to re-think our own roles and identity,” Rousi says.

The book argues that autonomous technologies should be viewed as part of a larger system of systems, with each component working together to enhance human experiences. By taking this approach, the book aims to foster a more nuanced and ethical perspective on the development and deployment of AI.