WHAT HAPPENS TO FREE WILL WHEN MACHINES START MAKING CHOICES?

Abstract It details confluences of free will and machine decision-making and discusses the consequences of autonomy on systems making decisions that were traditionally the prerogative of humans. Much more than any other time, machines are entering into decision-making processes particularly in the realms of AI and automation technologies. They operate in fields ranging from healthcare to transportation to criminal justice. The article's key aim is to study how machine decision-making threatens human autonomy and hence the concept of free will. It therefore discusses the philosophical, ethical, and societal perspectives upon this transition and analyzes some of the associated risks and benefits with machines taking over decision-making. Findings include the ethical impasses concerning machine accountability, the reduction of human agency, and the future development of human/machine interaction. Through pursuing these issues, the article will help to formulate a better conception of human free will in a world where decisions are increasingly assumed by machines. The methodology includes case studies, ethical reviews, and philosophical approaches, allowing a broad view of the proposed question, including the positives and negatives of machine autonomy.