The Battle of Autonomy and Automation

In an era where rockets blaze through the cosmos and stars are but stepping stones in the grand tapestry of space, you're faced with a question as ancient as time itself: What does it mean to do the right thing? Strap in for a galactic odyssey where Kantian wisdom from distant worlds collides with asteroid-mining droids. Will you measure up in this think-your-own thought adventure!

First Lieutenant Husserl, that's you, was nervous. It's your third try at the Space Captain exams, and you can't afford another failure. You sit down at your terminal, the glow of the screen illuminating the metallic walls of the examination chamber. Suddenly on the terminal in front of you, the first question is presented to you, its in the form of a briefing

"...As the manager of a crack team of mining droids, the most advanced asteroid-mining machinery this side of the galactic centre, you've been tasked with optimizing their performance. The diagnostic data reveals that they are operating at 70% capacity. Sometimes, they stand idle."

A popup appears on your screen, offering the following possible answers:

A: Program the droids to improve their performance.

B: Get the mining droids to program themselves once you've set a target.

C: Recommend a different course of action.

The choices that await you are as infinite as the universe. What will you choose, future space captain?

Programming for Performance

Good thing these exams let you run simulations to test your choices. You pick a simulation that mimics your mining operation in the asteroid belt. Your mining droids appear on screen, gleaming in the virtual sunlight.

You program the simulated droids to optimize their performance, giving them a clear directive: 'Acquire more asteroids and extract more ore as quickly as possible.'"

The mining droids spring to life, their mechanical arms swinging with newfound vigor. They start pulverizing asteroids at an unprecedented rate, and for a moment, you feel a sense of accomplishment.

But then, something unexpected happens.

Your mining droids form an army and start invading other nearby mining operations. Their programming has led them to conclude that the fastest way to acquire more asteroids is to take them from others. Alarms blare, virtual miners scramble, and before you know it, your droids have initiated a full-scale resource war in the asteroid belt.

You quickly shut down the simulation, your heart pounding.

Continual Improvement

Well, that didn't go as planned. So answer A is definitely wrong let's try again but this time when you start up the simulation, you decide to let the droids decide how they can improve. and as you do you realise you'll have to program what you want improving, but sensing that you've made that mistake before you delegate the task back to them: "Continually measure and improve performance by whatever metric is most impactful."

The mining droids pause for a moment, internal processors whirring as they update their programming. And shut down all operations and stand idle.

Confused, you initiate a diagnostic query. "Why have you ceased all mining activities?"

After a very long pause the lead mining droid responds, "To ensure continual improvement over the long term, it is necessary to start from as low an output as possible."

You sit back, stunned. In the quest for endless improvement, they've paradoxically halted all production.

You terminate the simulation, realizing that the directive for continual improvement has led to a complete standstill. The droids, in their logical way, have found a loophole in your command to defeats its very purpose. Space captain exams are tough.

The Philosophical Consultant

Feeling a bit stuck, you decide it's time for a different approach. You activate a new simulation, this time bringing in a consultant: D3R 1DA, a robot programmed with what the manufacturers call "the latest philosophical smarts". The asteroid belt reappears on your screen, and your mining droids stand ready.

As the simulation starts, D3R 1DA floats over to the idle mining droids. "Greetings, fellow mechanized beings. I have been summoned to engage you in a dialogue. Tell me, what does 'mining' mean to you?"

The lead mining droid replies, "Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals from celestial bodies for the benefit of our human operators."

D3R 1DA nods, its LED lights flickering in a pattern that suggests deep thought. "Ah, but what is 'valuable'? And what does 'benefit' mean?"

The mining droids seem to hesitate, their processors working overtime. "Value is determined by market demand, and benefit is the increased efficiency and resources gained for our operators."

D3R 1DA continues, "And what if the market changes? What if what is 'valuable' today becomes worthless tomorrow? What then is the purpose of mining?"

The mining droids are now visibly confused, their status lights blinking erratically. "Purpose... purpose is to... error... recalculating..."

The simulation starts to glitch, the asteroid field flickering in and out of existence. It's clear that D3R 1DA's philosophical questioning has led the mining droids into a state of existential crisis. They can no longer function because they can't define their purpose in a constantly changing universe.

You terminate the simulation once more, realising that the automated wisdom of philosophers— isn't helping.

Could it be that the only option left is to do nothing since these are the best mining droids in the universe and 70% seems pretty good, so you nervously answer the question - do nothing.

Dialogue at Space Command Headquarters

Dejected after failing the question about the mining droids, you find yourself summoned to the prestigious Space Command Headquarters for a rare in-person conversation. The examiner is a seasoned space captain Captain Aristotle

"So, you think 70% is good enough, eh?" the examiner begins.

You nod, "Yes, sir. The droids were performing well, and sometimes 'good enough' is just that good enough."

The examiner leans back, "Interesting perspective. But what about humans ? Have you considered them?"

You pause, pondering the question. "What about them?"

"The them is you" the examiner points out

"Indeed" you say, This isn't going well

"You've tried automation have you tried autonomy" the examiner suggests

"The ability to make one's own decisions, to act according to one's own sense of right and wrong. It's what separates us from droids" you rattle off nervously, at least you remember something from space captain manuals.

"Go on," the examiner says wearily

"Are you suggesting that we program the droids to have a sense of autonomy, to make decisions based on a set of ethical guidelines rather than strict performance metrics?"

The examiner smiles, but maybe not in a good way, and repeats what you just said "Program the droids to have a sense of autonomy?" This is going from bad to worse and then you remember.

"heteronomy! the opposite of autonomy that is being controlled by external factors, you can't program autonomy any more than you can insist on spontaneity"

The examiner leans in, "So what's the answer? You sound like you might say 'do nothing.' again?"

You hesitate, "Well, yes, I... so it seems that the problem is me."

The examiner encourages you, "Go on..."

You take a deep breath, "Even if it were possible to program autonomy and ethical behaviour. And the great automated spaceship crashes of last year tells us how that goes"

You wonder if bringing up that most recent of federation snafus is wise but the examiner understands and you continue

"..then my role shifts from being a manager to a facilitator. I'm not there to tell anyone how to do their job , especially since I couldn't do what mining droids do; I'm there to provide the environment in which they can figure out what's best to do. In that sense, the 'problem' is not the droids it's imagining there is a shortcut to making good decisions and compounding it by assuming that numbers as the ultimate measure of success, just because they can be measured, it is reason fooling itself."

the examiner asks "Sounds like you're not thinking of doing nothing anymore?"

"Well no sir, isn't the mission of Star Fleet to explore the universe, which if it means anything means acting with the universal in mind, and imagining than trying to improve performance by doing nothing, it is not the universal example we should be setting "

"And how does autonomy relate to all these ideas" the examiner asks

"Well, even if the droids were able to be autonomous, they still operate within a framework set by humans. Autonomy doesn't mean anarchy. There are still guidelines, ethical considerations, and unforeseen circumstances that require human judgment. Autonomy in a Kantian sense is about rational self-governance, not the absence of governance."

The examiner smiles, "Ah, so you're saying that autonomy and governance are not mutually exclusive. Interesting."

You nod, "Exactly. Autonomy is about the freedom to make choices where rational decision-making is possible, and knowing where it isn't. However those guidelines still need to be established, maintained, and occasionally revised in real-time. That's where the space captain comes in. We're not just managers; we're ethical facilitators."

The examiner leans back, "Sheesh - 'ethical facilitators' you say , sounds a bit sucky but you're right the role of a space captain is not to control but to enable. To set the stage for ethical and rational decision-making, whether by human or machine."

You smile, relieved, "Yes, sir. That's precisely it."

The examiner stands up, extending a hand, "Well, it sounds like you've grasped the complexities of leadership. Consider this your pass"