“You have brains in your head,
You have feet in your shoes,
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
— Dr. Seuss
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have significant potential to transform society and our daily lives, fundamentally altering how we interact with the world around us. This transformation is taking a dramatic leap forward with the emergence of Agentic AI.
Imagine: AI-powered agents that not only plan your next overseas trip but also handle every detail — from booking flights and reserving tours to securing accommodation. Now, imagine this same system actively working to reduce the carbon footprint of your trip. Unlike previous rule-based AI assistants with limited autonomy, Agentic AI is all about autonomy; it can make decisions, take actions and learn on its own to achieve specific goals. This type of AI and its increasing role in decision-making has prompted discussions about individuals’ perceptions of AI in terms of agency and control.
Our ability to exert control over one’s environment to achieve a desired goal is a fundamental human motivation present since infancy [1]. Psychologists Deci and Ryan have argued that “autonomy” and “self-determination”– terms describing one’s motivation to act as an independent and causal agent upon the environment – are fundamental psychological needs essential to our general well-being [2]. This need for control can make us hesitant to adopt technologies that appear to threaten our sense of freedom to choose or act independently [3].
At iDODDLE, we’re exploring how willing people are to delegate decisions about carbon-intensive behaviours to Agentic AI systems. We are particularly interested in how the satisfaction of basic psychological needs — such as autonomy, competence and relatedness — influences the acceptance of these systems. If individuals are willing to delegate decisions to agentic AI, especially in high-agency conditions, AI could optimise energy consumption by making data-driven, low-carbon choices on our behalf.
Image credit: World Economic Forum: Emerging technologies
References
- Leotti, L.A., S.S. Iyengar, and K.N. Ochsner, Born to choose: The origins and value of the need for control. Trends in cognitive sciences, 2010. 14(10): p. 457-463.
- Ryan, R.M. and E.L. Deci, Self‐regulation and the problem of human autonomy: Does psychology need choice, self‐determination, and will? Journal of personality, 2006. 74(6): p. 1557-1586.
- De Freitas, J., et al., Psychological factors underlying attitudes toward AI tools. Nature Human Behaviour, 2023. 7(11): p. 1845-1854.