Commentary: Societal Reactions to Hopes and Threats of Autonomous Agent Actions: Reflections about Public Opinion and Technology Implementations

In the paper Avoiding Adverse Autonomous Agent Actions, Hancock (2021) sketches the technological development of automomous agents leading to a point in the (near) future, where machines become truly independent agents. He further elaborates that this development comes with both great promises, but also serious, even existential threats. Hancock concludes with highlighting the importance to prepare against problematic actions that autonomous agents might enact and suggests measures for humanity to take.

I agree that the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is unstoppable and reflections about the future of society are in dire need. As Hancock points out, while the general direction on the path toward evermore autonomous systems may be more or less marked out, sudden and unexpected social ramifications may lead us down unforeseen forks or dead ends that prove hard to navigate for humanity. As a social scientist, I will subsequently not comment on the technical considerations, i.e., if and when machine intelligence will exceed human intelligence. Instead, I will reflect on the societal challenges outlined in Hancock’s article. More specifically, I will address the role of public opinion as a factor in the implementation of autonomous agents into society. Thereby, public perception of potential strengths and opportunites may lead to exaggerated expectations, while public perception of potential weaknesses and threats may lead to overexceeded fears.

Recommended citation: Kieslich, K. (2021). Commentary: Societal Reactions to Hopes and Threats of Autonomous Agent Actions: Reflections about Public Opinion and Technology Implementations. Human–Computer Interaction, 37(3), 259-262. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370024.2021.19766
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