Witten, Ian H.2008-02-272008-02-271985-12-01http://hdl.handle.net/1880/46143This paper examines the concept of autonomy as it pertains to computer systems. Two rather different strands of meaning are identified. The first regards autonomy as self-government or self-motivation. This is developed by reviewing some recent AI research on representing and using goals, together with physiological, psychological, and philosophical viewpoints on motivation and goal-seeking behavior. The second concerns the biological independence of organisms which have the ability to maintain their own organization in a capricious environment. The advantages of such organisms have been realized recently in a number of different computer contexts, and the examples of worm programs, self-replicating Trojan horses and viruses are introduced and discussed.EngComputer Scienceunknown1985-225-3810.11575/PRISM/31164