As autonomy and artificial intelligence continue to be integrated into systems across society, making sure these systems work properly continues to be of the utmost importance.  

“It’s really important to make sure these systems work like they’re supposed to, but it can be really hard,” says Dr. Cara LaPointe, co-director, Institute for Assured Autonomy, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

The goal is to reach a point of assured autonomy, where people can be confident that the autonomous systems around them are, and will, operate the way they are designed to. Reaching this point requires making sure that these systems are safe, secure, resilient and capable of operating within an ecosystem alongside humans and other technologies. 

“It’s really important to get this right. The stakes are really high,” Dr. LaPointe says.

Whether it’s autonomous vehicles operating on roads alongside human drivers, or drones operating above people and beside fellow occupants of the airspace, autonomous and artificial intelligence-enabled systems need to be developed to be positive contributors to society. Along with being beneficial, they also need to be predictable, and capable of being seamlessly integrated into the ecosystem, so that they understand the social dynamics of people, as well as any legacy technologies they’ll encounter.

To accomplish this tall task, Dr. LaPointe says that a holistic approach is needed. All things need to be taken into consideration, including the technology and ecosystems themselves, but also the policies created to drive the technology.

The technology needs be able to operate correctly in an unconstrained world. While operating, these systems need to be secure and resilient from people who try to manipulate them for nefarious reasons.

From a policy perspective, it’s important to think about the policies being created within society. “Technology has the power to transform,” Dr. LaPointe says, but she points out that it also has the power to have negative impacts on people, too, so it’s critical to figure out how to develop policies and governance mechanisms that ensure that the technology can flourish in a way that society can leverage the full potential of autonomy.

At the same time, guardrails are needed to guard against some of the unintended consequences on society or segments of society that could result from these technologies. Protection is also needed to ensure that people can’t manipulate different technologies for their own gain. At the end of the day, it’s about making sure that these technologies are operating ethically for everyone in society, and having a valuable impact.

From autonomous shuttles that can transport populations that don’t have urban mobility options to and from their respective destinations, to drones that can deliver organs from one city to another for transplants that could save someone’s life, the possibilities are endless once society reaches a point of assured autonomy.

“It’s exciting. There’s a lot of potential with autonomy,” Dr. LaPointe says.

Assured Autonomy is the theme of Xponential 2021. We hope you join us next year to continue this very timely, and exciting, conversation!