From my perspective, the Omegas failed to define a specific endgame, a final defined outcome. In my mind, the most glaring error was creating a machine designed to take over everything and ultimately expecting to control it. One issue that wasn’t addressed is world population. I wonder how that might have been “solved” by Prometheus. Another issue is the root of consumerism. If people can be satisfied with what they need I find it hard to understand why we have full garden sheds, garages, and storage units. We love stuff we don’t need.
There is a relevant point to that. Humans have irrational tendencies amidst their logic. Ultimately, machines make selections based on what can be calculated, explained in steps, and patterned. They are very good at it. Humans made them and we are great at pattern recognition. Machines are not illogical, irrational, or randomly chaotic. They may approximate it, but humans actually are it. So far as I know, there aren’t any calculations that can control the entirety of our behavior. Simpler still, a plan that relies on opiating the masses through screen time and slogans will fail to work all of the time. People get overloaded and just walk away, or they get bored. It won’t matter how engaging or entertaining it is.
To answer the question of what we can do to avoid unintended outcomes, the solid answer is to bring as many different perspectives to the table as possible. Different points of view are needed to see possibilities well, and then integrate solutions into an excellent design. The most complex problems with the largest potential impacts need the most diverse voices in the conversation. To come around to the beginning again, you also need a well defined goal. That requires a well defined problem.