In 2018, we discussed language that aims at safety and degrees of autonomy rather than having, possibly unattainable, goals of completely autonomous things. A better approach, at least for the next 5-10 years, is to seek the correct balance between technology and humans in hybrid devices and systems. See for example, the Unmanned Integrated Systems Roadmap, 2017-2042 and Ethically Aligned Design. We also need to consider the limits and possibilities for research on the technologies and their impacts on time frames and the proper focus of policymaking.
In a recent interview, Dr. Harold Szu, a co-founder and former governor of the International Neural Network Society, discusses research ideas that better mimic human thinking and that could dramatically reduce the time to develop autonomous technology. He discusses a possible new level of brain-style computing that incorporates fuzzy membership functions into autonomous control systems. Autonomous technology incorporating human characteristics, along with safe policies and earlier arrival of brain-style technologies, could usher in the next big economic boom. For more details, view the Harold Szu interview.