Open AccessAI Rebel Agents
Author(s) -
Coman Alexandra,
Aha David W.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ai magazine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 2371-9621
pISSN - 0738-4602
DOI - 10.1609/aimag.v39i3.2762
Subject(s) - variety (cybernetics) , categorization , correctness , task (project management) , computer science , psychology , social psychology , artificial intelligence , engineering , systems engineering , programming language
The ability to say “no” in a variety of ways and contexts is an essential part of being sociocognitively human. Rebel agents are artificially intelligent agents that can refuse assigned goals and plans, or oppose the behavior or attitudes of other agents. Rebel agents can serve purposes such as ethics, safety, task execution correctness, and providing or supporting diverse points of view. Through several examples, we show that, despite ominous portrayals in science fiction, such AI agents with human‐inspired noncompliance abilities have many potential benefits. We present a framework to help categorize and design rebel agents, discuss their social and ethical implications, and assess their potential benefits and the risks they may pose. In recognition of the fact that, in human psychology, noncompliance has profound sociocognitive implications, we also explore sociocognitive dimensions of AI rebellion: social awareness and counternarrative intelligence.