Revisiting 'Machine Behavior': the 2019 Nature paper that predicted today's AI science
iyadrahwan · x · 2026-11-02
Nicholas Christakis and Iyad Rahwan resurface "Machine Behaviour," the 2019 Nature review co-authored by Rahwan, Cebrian, Pentland, Tenenbaum and others. Written ahead of the current AI wave, it argued that a new science of machine behavior was possible and necessary — a broad research agenda extending beyond computer science, spanning 14 fundamental questions plus the technical, legal and institutional constraints on studying AI systems. The paper has since amassed 201k accesses and 1,631 citations.
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