A Formalisation of the Purpose Framework: the Autonomy-Alignment Problem in Open-Ended Learning Robots

Gianluca Baldassarre, Richard J. Duro, Emilio Cartoni, Mehdi Khamassi, Alejandro Romero, Vieri Giuliano Santucci

Abstract:

The unprecedented advancement of artificial in-
telligence enables the development of increasingly autonomous
robots. These robots hold significant potential, particularly in
moving beyond engineered factory settings to operate in the
unstructured environments inhabited by humans. However, this
possibility also generates a relevant autonomy-alignment problem
to ensure that robots’ autonomous learning processes still focus
on acquiring knowledge relevant to accomplish human practical
purposes, while their behaviour still aligns with their broader
purposes (e.g., related to security and ethical constraints inter-
ference). The literature has only begun to address this problem,
and a conceptual, terminological, and formal framework is still
lacking. Here we address one of the most challenging instances
of the problem: autonomous open-ended learning (OEL) robots,
capable of cumulatively acquiring new skills and knowledge
through direct interaction with the environment, guided by
self-generated goals and intrinsic motivations. In particular, we
propose a computational framework, first introduced qualita-
tively and then formalised, to support the design of OEL robot
architectures that balance autonomy and control. The framework
pivots on the novel concept of purpose. A human purpose
specifies what humans (e.g., designers or users) want the robot
to learn, do or not do, within a certain boundary of autonomy
and independently of the domains in which it operates. The
framework decomposes the autonomy-alignment problem into
more tractable sub-problems: the alignment of ‘robot purposes’
with human purposes, either by hardwiring or through learning;
the arbitration between multiple purposes; the grounding of
purposes into specific domain-dependent robot goals; and the
competence acquisition needed to accomplish these goals. The
framework and its potential utility are further elucidated through
the discussion of hypothetical example scenarios framed within
it.