Requirements Engineering for Feedback Loops in Software-Intensive Systems

Abstract

A feedback loop occurs when the output of a system induces certain changes in the environment, which, in turn, influences the system through its input. Certain self-reinforcing feedback loops can inflict significant harm on the environment, by amplifying the existing bias or other undesirable effects over time. In this paper, we argue that such feedback loops are becoming more prevalent in software-intensive systems, and propose a set of requirements engineering activities and research problems for understanding, modeling, and dealing with feedback loops.