Decision Heuristics: Myths, Misconceptions, and Practical Uses in Robotics and AI

When we have to make a decision, should we trust our instinct or should we deliberate carefully before we act? What should we do when we design AI systems to make decisions automatically? Is there really no way to think both logically and psychologically? Over time, a rather complicated view has developed about decision-making in humans and machines. In this talk, I will discuss some of the reasons for this confusion, including related myths and misconceptions. I will also discuss how decision heuristics challenge existing beliefs and enable us to combine intuition and deliberation in the design of AI systems. I will use examples of decision-making in humans and robots to highlight key principles to be aware of when designing AI systems. Prof. Mohan Sridharan is a Chair in Robot Systems in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh (UK), where he is the Director of the Institute of Perception, Action and Behavior, and Co-Director of the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Dependable and Deployable AI for Robotics. Prior to his current appointment, he held academic positions at the University of Birmingham (UK), The University of Auckland (NZ), and at Texas Tech University (USA). He received his Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin (USA). He is broadly interested in cognition and control in robots and humans; his primary research interests include knowledge representation, cognitive systems, interactive learning, and control systems. He is also interested in developing algorithms that promote autonomy and sustainability in domains such as transportation, agriculture, and climate informatics. Web page: https://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/msridhar/