Autonomous agents and intelligent systems: do no harm, don’t discriminate using emerging technologies

Application of emerging technologies arise from highly interdisciplinary research and practice areas, connecting results from different fields, such as systems science, information science, cognitive science, neuroscience, computing, engineering, translational science, neural networks, evolutionary computation, biomedicine, medicine, law, ethics, philosophy. Although there is no universally accepted definition of the autonomous agents and intelligent systems (A/IS) we could refer to them, through their ultimate aim (τέλος - telos) achieved through their activity (τέχνη - techne), as concrete, variable and context-dependent practical application of knowledge of principles. A/IS are specifically designed to reduce human intervention in our day-to-day lives and to operate robustly in rapidly changing, unpredictable, or open environments, where there is a significant possibility that actions can fail. In so doing, these new fields of research and practice are raising concerns about their impact on individuals and societies, promoting the understanding of the implications that occurs when essential humans faculties (λόγος - logos), likes intelligence, knowledge, logic behind arguments, decisionmaking, are performed by A/IS as expression of an algorithm. Current discussions include advocacy for the positive impact, as well as warnings, based on the potential harm to safety, discrimination, privacy, loss of skills, economic impacts, security of critical infrastructure, and the long-term effects on social well-being. Because of the nature of A/IS technologies, their full benefit will be attained only if their behaviours are aligned with our human defined values, ethical principles and integrity of character (ἦθος - ethos). The effort, and the challenge, is to establish a framework (Νόμος - Nomos) to guide the praxis and inform dialogue and debate around the implications of A/IS that should be based on general principles of ethical design, development, and implementation focusing on human rights, well-being, accountability.