Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

🤝 Autonomy

In the context of ASPECT, “autonomy” characterizes a technology’s level of human-machine teaming (HMT) and describes the adaptive, bi-directional interaction among humans and machines that augments human capabilities for improved outcomes. This attribute builds on prior work by the Society of Automotive Engineers’ six levels of driving automation1 and expands on ISO definitions to partition technology into distinct and employable categories.

Tip

ISO 229892 defines human-machine teaming as “integration of human interaction with machine intelligence capabilities.”

This attribute is important for understanding how well a technology can operate independently of human intervention, as well as the level of human oversight and control required for its operation. By categorizing technologies based on their autonomy, we can better understand their capabilities and limitations and make informed decisions about their use in various applications. The Visidata project popularized its own similar “level of machine assistance” characterizing LLM involvement in code changes3, and ASPECT’s autonomy attribute builds on this work to provide a more comprehensive framework for understanding the relationship between humans and machines in technology.

Tip

The acorn-lib crate provides conversion utilities to seemlessly integrate Visidata’s AI collaboration levels into ASPECT’s autonomy attribute.

Levels

Manual (HMT 0)

This level is characterized by the execution of a script where the deterministic outcome is fully known and controlled by the human operator.

Human Task

Machine-assisted (HMT 1)

In this level, the machine assists the human operator in executing a task. The human remains in full control of the task execution, with the machine offering support or suggestions as needed. This might include an iterative script that augments the input during each iteration based on prior outputs.

Machine Human Task

Human as primary (HMT 2)

Human directs execution while the machine proposes next steps and executes subtasks under continuous human approval. The human retains decision authority throughout.

Machine Human Task

Machine as primary (HMT 3)

Machine directs execution while the human intervenes on exceptions, policy checks, or contested steps. The machine carries the workflow.

Human Machine Task

Human supervisor (HMT 4)

Machine operates independently and the human monitors progress, sets bounds, and provides supervisory override. Human attention is on oversight rather than step execution.

Human Machine Task

Machine only (HMT 5)

Machine executes end-to-end with no human in the loop. All perception, decision, and action are machine-controlled within its authorized scope.

Machine Task

  1. SAE J3016 Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems: https://www.sae.org/standards/j3016_202104-taxonomy-definitions-terms-related-driving-automation-systems-road-motor-vehicles ↩

  2. ISO/IEC 22989:2022 Information Technology — Artificial Intelligence Concepts and Terminology ↩

  3. Visidata AI Collaboration Levels: https://www.visidata.org/blog/2026/ai/ ↩