Agents and automation

Autonomy

contested definition

Definition

The degree to which a system can select and execute actions without case-by-case human direction or approval.

Distinguish it from nearby terms

Autonomy is multidimensional: planning discretion, execution authority, duration, scope, and deployment power can differ.

Check your understanding

Always state autonomy over what action, in what domain, with what blast radius and evidence gate.

Also called

agentic autonomy

Factory areas

Public evidence