Machines, software, or vehicles capable of performing complex tasks and making situated decisions over extended periods without real-time human guidance. They perceive their environment through sensors, interpret the data, plan a course of action, and act—all while dealing with uncertainty and unexpected events. The autonomy spectrum ranges from "follow pre-set rules" to "learn and adapt on the fly." The defining feature is agency: the system is not just automated, but has the capacity to choose how to achieve its given objective.
Autonomous Systems Example: A self-driving car navigating city traffic, choosing when to change lanes, and reacting to a jaywalker is an Autonomous System. So is a planetary rover like Perseverance, which can select its own path to a target, avoid hazards, and decide which rocks to laser-zap for analysis, all during a communication blackout with Earth. It's a trusted, independent agent.
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 3, 2026
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