Guardrails : Guiding Human Decisions in the Age of AI / Urs Gasser and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gasser, Urs, author.

Mayer-Schönberger, Viktor, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Decision making.

Computers and civilization.

Technological innovations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (241 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Prince­ton University Press, [2024]

Summary:

"In making decisions-be they decisions for ourselves, our families, our work, or our government-our thinking is informed by a host of factors that include the information we have on hand, the societal norms exerting pressure in one direction or another, the laws that govern us, and, increasingly, the technology that can bring the power of algorithms, AI, and computing to our aid. Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Urs Gasser term this overarching set of external influences "guardrails": the structures, much like the same-named barriers on highways, that establish the bounds and direction of desirable behavior. As technology has come to play an outsized role in shaping our decision-making, the authors argue that a clear understanding of what role guardrails can and should play in our society is essential-and that this in turn can help us determine what kind of transparency and accountability we require of the technology we rely on. The authors first consider some of the challenges of decision-making in the digital world in chapters that focus on information and misinformation, human bias and the promise (or not) of AI to correct it, and decision-making in the face of uncertainty. In each case, they show how the quick embrace of technological solutions can lead to results we don't expect or hope for (for instance, the perpetuation of racial discrimination in the algorithmic assessment of credit-worthiness). They then lay out what they see as the key principles for good guardrails-empowering individual decisions, accounting for the social good, and flexibility in the face of new circumstances. Ultimately, the authors present a vision for the future of decision-making that centers individual choice and human volition even in face of technological progress"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Contents

1. Decisions: How We Decide and Why It Matters: Human Agency and Changing the World

2. Rules: The Governance of Cyberspace Offers a Cautious Tale of Hype, Hope, and Failure

3. Falsities: Two Ways to Approach the Problem of Misinformation

4. Bias: Why We Can't Expect AI to Solve Deep-Rooted Flaws in Human Decision-Making

5. Doubt: Incomplete Information and the Problem of Irreversibility

6. Principles: Guardrails Should Empower Individuals, Be Socially Anchored, and Encourage Learning

7. Self-Restraint: How to Avoid the Governance Trap of Too Much Context-Awareness, or Not Enough

8. Range: Four Case Studies That Illustrate the Art and Science of Making Innovative Guardrails

9. Machines: Why Technology Is Neither Anathema nor a Panacea, But a Valuable Piece in the Puzzle

10. Futures: How to Think About the Exercise of Power as Humans Approach a New Digital Frontier

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-691-25635-7

OCLC:

1409033110