GUARDRAILS

How society can shape individual actions in times of uncertaintyWhen we make decisions our thinking is informed by societal norms guardrails that guide our decisions like the laws and rules that govern us But what are good guardrails in today s world of overwhelming information flows and increasingly powerful technologies such as artificial intelligence Based on the latest insights from the cognitive sciences economics and public policy Guardrails offers a novel approach to shaping decisions by embracing human agency in its social context In this visionary book Urs Gasser and Viktor Mayer Schönberger show how the quick embrace of technological solutions can lead to results we don t always want and they explain how society itself can provide guardrails more suited to the digital age ones that empower individual choice while accounting for the social good encourage flexibility in the face of changing circumstances and ultimately help us to make better decisions as we tackle the most daunting problems of our times such as global injustice and climate change Whether we change jobs buy a house or quit smoking thousands of decisions large and small shape our daily lives Decisions drive our economies seal the fate of democracies create war or peace a