Definition · foundations
autonomy
autonomy is the degree to which an agent can choose and carry out actions without new human direction. You can spot autonomy in practice when the record shows what the system observes, what choice it makes, and what changes next, without asking the reader to guess or trust a slogan.
157 definitions656 sourced recordsNamed source: ACL Anthology
Why does autonomy matter?
Autonomy is a setting, not a mark of quality. Raise it only when proof, rights, and repair paths support it. For autonomy, start with three checks: What can the system observe? What choice can it make? What changes after it acts? The answers should point to visible evidence, not a promise.
What does autonomy look like?
A calendar agent may move staff meetings alone but needs approval for client meetings. This example makes autonomy visible by naming the actor, the action, and the result in practice. It is an illustration for readers, not a claim that every product behaves this way.
What is autonomy easy to confuse with?
Autonomy is freedom from new direction. Agency is the power to choose goal-led actions. The closest entries here are autonomous validation, background agent, agentic AI. Compare their definitions with autonomy before using the names as if they mean the same thing. That comparison keeps autonomy separate from nearby ideas without pretending the boundary is always perfect.
How certain is this definition?
This definition is provisional. ACL Anthology supports the version you see today, but a better or more direct source may change it. Open the cited page and check its date before you use this entry to choose a product, write a policy, set a safety control, or design a system.
Who introduced the term autonomy?
We have not verified who first introduced autonomy. The source supports a useful definition, but it may not be the earliest use. Until a dated primary record settles the question, we leave the origin open. A popular article or product page is not enough to name the person who coined a term.
What should you understand before autonomy?
Read artificial intelligence (AI) first when autonomy depends on a more basic idea or mechanism. The link gives you a useful route through the glossary. It does not mean every author teaches the subject in this order, so follow the source when the sequence matters.
What should this term help you answer?
Use autonomy to ask what an agent can observe, decide, change, remember, or hand off. The questions below turn the definition into a practical check. They are prompts for your own work, not claims made by the source, so change them to fit the system you are examining.
- What can the system observe?
- What choice can it make?
- What changes after it acts?
Which source supports this definition of autonomy?
ACL Anthology supports this working definition of autonomy. We checked the link on 2026-07-12. Open the original record for its context, methods, limits, and publication details. The short explanation here is a guide to autonomy; the linked source remains the evidence to inspect when the wording or boundary matters.
source foundautonomyChecked 2026-07-12→