Redefining Goals for Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has already transformed our daily lives—from Siri and Alexa to Google Maps or Netflix. It drives innovation across sectors through medical diagnostics, supply chain automation, or robotics manufacturing. Many technologists expect artificial intelligence to become a general-purpose technology, inseparable from our future in the ways that electricity or the internal combustion engine have revolutionized our way of life. But we must also think hard about what kind of future we want and steer a course toward that desirable future. This case outlines goal-oriented artificial intelligence and the challenges for goal-based design. It also offers a framework for designing AI to cultivate human well-being—Purpose, Autonomy, Collaboration, and Excellence.