How to Design Humane Autonomous Systems

How to Design Humane Autonomous Systems
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 22, 2025

In a rapidly evolving era of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems, a new book by a team of interdisciplinary scholars provides an essential examination of these technologies from a human-centered viewpoint. This open access book explores the ethical, humane, and comprehensive aspects of AI and autonomous systems, focusing on their influence on human life and work.

"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," said Rebekah Rousi, Associate Professor in Communication Studies at the University of Vaasa, Finland.

Rousi co-edited the book "Humane Autonomous Technology" with Catharina von Koskull, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Vaasa, and Virpi Roto, Senior Lecturer and Professor of Practice of Design from Aalto University.

Ethical and Humane Considerations

A central theme of the book is the ethical implications of AI and autonomous systems. Contributors investigate critical issues such as intellectual property rights, human roles, biases, and the risk of these technologies adopting undesirable human traits. The book highlights the importance of designing and implementing ethical 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 centres - 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 explained.

Multidisciplinary Insights

"Humane Autonomous Technology" adopts a multidisciplinary approach, featuring contributors from fields such as human-computer interaction, interaction design, art, service and consumer studies, and cognitive science. Many contributors bridge disciplinary divides in their work, providing a comprehensive perspective.

The book is organized into four themes: Labour, co-work and industry; Cognition and emotion; Humanness and values; and Art, design and visual culture. Chapters addressing labour and industry examine collaboration between expert employees and chatbots and explore automation designed to enrich work. The art and design section discusses responsible AI integration to enhance worker-centered practices.

Rousi emphasized the significance of intention when determining AI's role in workplaces 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," she noted.

A Systems Perspective

The book advocates for viewing autonomous technologies as part of a broader "system of systems," where each component works collectively to improve human experiences. This holistic perspective seeks to foster a more nuanced and ethical approach to developing and deploying AI.

Research Report:Humane Autonomous Technology: Re-thinking Experience with and in Intelligent Systems