Risks of AI-driven product development and strategies for their mitigation
This perspective initiates discussion on risks for stakeholders in automated product development, but it is incremental as it builds on existing concerns without introducing new methods or data.
The paper tackles the risks of AI-driven product development, outlining principles for mitigation such as human oversight and explainable design, and covers technical and sociotechnical risks to help balance opportunities and risks without delaying progress.
Humanity is progressing towards automated product development, a trend that promises faster creation of better products and thus the acceleration of technological progress. However, increasing reliance on non-human agents for this process introduces many risks. This perspective aims to initiate a discussion on these risks and appropriate mitigation strategies. To this end, we outline a set of principles for safer AI-driven product development which emphasize human oversight, accountability, and explainable design, among others. The risk assessment covers both technical risks which affect product quality and safety, and sociotechnical risks which affect society. While AI-driven product development is still in its early stages, this discussion will help balance its opportunities and risks without delaying essential progress in understanding, norm-setting, and regulation.