---
title: "Autonomy"
description: "In the EU AI Act and OECD texts, some degree of independence of action from human involvement, which almost every AI system has."
canonical: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/autonomy
author: "Jorge García Aibar"
license: "CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)"
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197
version: "0.5.0"
updated: 2026-09-25
---

# Autonomy

In the EU AI Act and OECD texts, some degree of independence of action from human involvement, which almost every AI system has. ISO/IEC 22989 uses the word for a much stronger property, a system that can change its own goal or domain of use, and calls the ordinary case automation [1].

- Developed in: [ch. 11, ISO/IEC 22989](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/ai-defined#isoiec-22989)
- Chapters: [ch. 11, AI Defined](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/ai-defined) · [ch. 23, AI Agents](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/governing-agents)
- Contrast with: [Autonomy level](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/autonomy-level)
- In the glossary chapter: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/glossary#t-autonomy

## Sources

[1] ISO/IEC 22989:2022, Artificial intelligence concepts and terminology (referenced by identifier only; autonomy and heteronomy; clause 5.11 machine learning approaches: supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, reinforcement). ISO/IEC. 2022-07. https://www.iso.org/standard/74296.html (verified: secondary)