Never mind killer robots – even the good ones are scarily unpredictable
The unexpected behaviour of even simple bots is only going to get more dramatic as AI scales up.
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Articles on Complex systems
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What an artificial intelligence researcher fears about AI
He spends his days developing artificial intelligence systems. What about AI keeps him up at night?
Is the world really sleepwalking to war? Systems thinking can provide an answer
An aggressive posture is one thing – but doing something about it is another, as countries factor in the costs and risks of aggression.
Cities are complex systems – let’s start looking at them that way
There are very few approaches that examine all aspects of the complexity of urban design and development. Ergonomics, human factors and sociotechnical systems methods offer a way forward.
“Design thinking” can prepare graduates for the real working world
We're living in a time of rapid transformation in terms of what's required for a country's workforce. Design thinking is one way to prepare graduates for these changing times.
Errors in Centrelink’s debt recovery system were inevitable, as in all complex systems
The Centrelink debt recovery system reminds us that many data systems are prone to error, and that's built in to how they work.
Why Bill Belichick cast down his tablet
The problems that cause us to be so frustrated we contemplate throwing a computer can be much more serious than a multimillionaire football coach having a minor tantrum on a Sunday afternoon.
What a TV mixup can teach us about preventing fatal accidents
Complex systems, from TV shows to hospitals, have plenty of checks and procedures, so why do things still go wrong?
Living with complexity: evolution, ecology, viruses and climate change
Diverse threads of the vast interrogation of nature we call science are coming together in a rich and mutually informative intellectual tapestry.
Can civilisation continue? An Earth system scientist explains
The Conversation organised a public question-and-answer session on Reddit in which James Dyke, a lecturer in Complex System Simulation, discussed planetary boundaries and whether global industrialised…
Challenge 10: Transnational security threats - new research and converging strategies
In part 10 of the multi-disciplinary Millennium Project series, Alex Burns argues that we are getting more sophisticated in our approach to global threats and conflict. Global challenge 10: How can shared…
Challenge 9: Decision making amidst increasing complexity
In part nine of our multi-disciplinary Millennium Project series, Cliff Hooker argues that to get any better at decision-making, we must first face up to our limitations. Global challenge 9: How can the…
Top contributors
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Laureate Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
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Honorary Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University
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Director of the Complex Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of Newcastle
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Research Facilitation & Development Manager, Victoria University
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Senior Research Fellow in Computational Social Science, Oxford Internet Institute, Alan Turing Fellow, University of Oxford
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Lecturer in Sustainability Science, University of Southampton
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Professor of Human Factors, University of the Sunshine Coast
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Professor of Political Science, Pro Vice Chancellor of the Social Sciences, University of Nottingham
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Lecturer in Mathematics, Flinders University
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Assistant Professor of Integrative Biology & Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University
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Professor of Human Factors and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Past President of Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, University of Nottingham
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Senior Lecturer and Researcher, Land Use Planning & Urban Design, University of the Sunshine Coast
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Senior Lecturer of System Dynamics, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Design Thinking Programme Manager, University of Cape Town
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Professor, National Security College, Australian National University
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