Cell-autonomous development is essentially the opposite of cell-cell interactions. In this type of cell differentiation, cells do not take into account signals from neighboring cells in developing certain characteristics, and instead presumably rely on the expression of their own genes. 

Brandeis University

Cell-cell interactions describe the process in which one cell influences the differentiation of neighboring cells during the development of the nervous system. This process is a key reason why vertebrate brains are less hardwired and more susceptible to environmental cues and experience. In contrast, invertebrate development, such as in C. elegans, is more hardwired and relies less on cell-cell interactions, making their mitotic lineages strictly predictable and easier to trace.

Cell-Cell Interactions

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Cell-Autonomous Development

Induction is the process by which two different sets of cells influence each other's cell differentiation, usually by secreting signaling molecules that can affect gene expression. This mechanism of cell differentiation combines both cell-autonomous development and cell-cell interactions. One group of cells influences the development of another group of cells (i.e., cell-cell interactions), but is does so by changing the genes expression that determines the differentiation of the target cell independent of other cells (i.e., cell-autonomous development).

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