Guardrails - by Urs Gasser & Viktor Mayer-Schönberger

About the Book

"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-Schèonberger 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"--

Book Synopsis

How society can shape individual actions in times of uncertainty

When we make decisions, our thinking is informed by societal norms, "guardrails" that guide our decisions, like the laws and rules that govern us. But what are good guardrails in today's world of overwhelming information flows and increasingly powerful technologies, such as artificial intelligence? Based on the latest insights from the cognitive sciences, economics, and public policy, Guardrails offers a novel approach to shaping decisions by embracing human agency in its social context.

In this visionary book, Urs Gasser and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger show how the quick embrace of technological solutions can lead to results we don't always want, and they explain how society itself can provide guardrails more suited to the digital age, ones that empower individual choice while accounting for the social good, encourage flexibility in the face of changing circumstances, and ultimately help us to make better decisions as we tackle the most daunting problems of our times, such as global injustice and climate change.

Whether we change jobs, buy a house, or quit smoking, thousands of decisions large and small shape our daily lives. Decisions drive our economies, seal the fate of democracies, create war or peace, and affect the well-being of our planet. Guardrails challenges the notion that technology should step in where our own decision making fails, laying out a surprisingly human-centered set of principles that can create new spaces for better decisions and a more innovative and prosperous society.

Review Quotes

"Guardrails is meticulously researched, insightful and cleanly argued."---Jeffrey Mazo, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy

"An impressively detailed and useful book that is also short, fascinating, and readable. . . . I have never before encountered so much clarity about the full context of governance and how all its components relate to AI."---Joanna Bryson, Science

About the Author

Urs Gasser is professor of public policy, governance, and innovative technology and dean of the School of Social Sciences and Technology at the Technical University of Munich. His books include (with John Palfrey) Born Digital: How Children Grow Up in a Digital Age. Viktor Mayer-Schönberger is professor of internet governance and regulation at the University of Oxford. His books include Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age (Princeton).