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Human-centered mechanism design with Democratic AI

Author

Listed:
  • Raphael Koster
  • Jan Balaguer
  • Andrea Tacchetti
  • Ari Weinstein
  • Tina Zhu
  • Oliver Hauser
  • Duncan Williams
  • Lucy Campbell-Gillingham
  • Phoebe Thacker
  • Matthew Botvinick
  • Christopher Summerfield

Abstract

Building artificial intelligence (AI) that aligns with human values is an unsolved problem. Here, we developed a human-in-the-loop research pipeline called Democratic AI, in which reinforcement learning is used to design a social mechanism that humans prefer by majority. A large group of humans played an online investment game that involved deciding whether to keep a monetary endowment or to share it with others for collective benefit. Shared revenue was returned to players under two different redistribution mechanisms, one designed by the AI and the other by humans. The AI discovered a mechanism that redressed initial wealth imbalance, sanctioned free riders, and successfully won the majority vote. By optimizing for human preferences, Democratic AI may be a promising method for value-aligned policy innovation.

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  • Raphael Koster & Jan Balaguer & Andrea Tacchetti & Ari Weinstein & Tina Zhu & Oliver Hauser & Duncan Williams & Lucy Campbell-Gillingham & Phoebe Thacker & Matthew Botvinick & Christopher Summerfield, 2022. "Human-centered mechanism design with Democratic AI," Papers 2201.11441, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2201.11441
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    Cited by:

    1. Leib, Margarita & Köbis, Nils & Rilke, Rainer Michael & Hagens, Marloes & Irlenbusch, Bernd, 2023. "Corrupted by Algorithms? How AI-Generated and Human-Written Advice Shape (Dis)Honesty," IZA Discussion Papers 16293, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Jan Balaguer & Raphael Koster & Christopher Summerfield & Andrea Tacchetti, 2022. "The Good Shepherd: An Oracle Agent for Mechanism Design," Papers 2202.10135, arXiv.org.
    3. Edwin Zhang & Sadie Zhao & Tonghan Wang & Safwan Hossain & Henry Gasztowtt & Stephan Zheng & David C. Parkes & Milind Tambe & Yiling Chen, 2024. "Social Environment Design," Papers 2402.14090, arXiv.org.
    4. Yang, Nanyin & Palma, Marco & Drichoutis, Andreas C., 2023. "Humanization of Virtual Assistants and Delegation Choices," MPRA Paper 119275, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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