FEATURE: AUTONOMOUS INFRASTRUCTURE
In Australia’ s energy sector, for example, systems that once required on-site technicians can now be managed remotely using smart grids. Yet these grids, when interconnected and autonomous, can suffer cascading failures. A single miscalculated input can ripple through the system causing widespread blackouts.
The paradox of control
The paradox of autonomy is stark. On one hand, autonomous systems reduce the need for human oversight, enabling faster and more efficient decisionmaking. On the other, they reduce our ability to understand, influence or even predict those decisions.
Smart traffic systems are another example. While AIbased controls optimise traffic flow in real time, they are also vulnerable to manipulation. A corrupted sensor feed could disrupt an entire city’ s road network.
This, in turn, creates a dangerous dynamic: systems that operate independently while their human operators lose visibility into how and why choices are being made.
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