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Title: Part 2: autonomous software and software autonomy Category: Blog Date: 2021-08-01 Tags: culture, politics
In my first essay in this series I tried to convey, that any revolution needs to include technological liberation. In the meantime I had plotted this article, forgotten it, re-plotted it partially, forgotten about it again, and finally ignored for the last year.
Only recently was I reminded of this dangling article pointer by a reader sending me an e-mail (hello! :)). At the same time I had been working on a very similar set of essays with some other people (which I will publish "soon") and so, I also started thinking about the matter at hand.
[...] autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision.
This essay has three parts.
Atonomous software
A lot of modern technology is pitched as "smart", based on its ability to re-incorporate user feedback into it.
This ranges from music recommendation algorithms to self driving cars. In some cases these technologies are being called "autonomous", for example in the case of cars.
But this is a mischaracterisation. These technologies are not actually autonomous. Decisions are not made by an "AI", they are made by developers of the training set and mathematical model the "AI" is built on. Decisions are then rewound and played back by the "AI". Responsibility for the outcomes lie with the developers of the software, not the software itself.
Terms such as "autonomous systems" are thrown around to describe these technologies, muddying the waters of responsibility.
Software autonomy
The idea of "software autonomy" is the inverse to the one we just outlined. The focus is on the individual, and user of the software.
Software isn't just another invention, such as toasters or automated potato peelers. Software is a meta-cluster invention, which has impacted every single industry
To you, who write software
Approach your work through this lense. Find the politics of what you're doing, and revolutionise them.