By Jon Farrow 

An interdisciplinary group of researchers wants to create a new scientific discipline called machine behaviour to understand how artificial intelligence will affect society, culture, the economy and politics.

In a review article in Nature, the authors argue that the study of AI algorithms needs to expand beyond computer science departments to include perspectives from across the physical and social sciences.

Two CIFAR fellows are co-authors on the paper: Hugo Larochelle is a Canada CIFAR AI Chair, the associate director of the Learning in Machines & Brains program, a research scientist at Google Brain and a member of Mila.

Matthew Jackson is a professor of economics at Stanford University, a fellow in the CIFAR Institutions, Organizations & Growth program, a specialist in human networks and the author of a new book called The Human Network, which examines the effects of social hierarchies and interactions.