The Self Driving Trolley Problem

 

June 3rd: The Self-Driving Trolley Problem

June 3, 2024

Amidst the rise of newer developmental technology in STEM and other related fields, major ethical problems take an interesting turn. Most notably in today's society, the rise of artificial intelligence and robotics makes the famous Trolley Problem turn into the self-driving car problem. 

For the problem today, the current moral dilemma is regarding the ethical questions surrounding self-driving cars. The self-driving car has three choices for lanes that all result in some sort of damage a) left into the SUV, b) straight into the obstacles, c) right into the motorcycle



  1. If I were the programmer, I would have the car choose “left” in the SUV

  2. Putting everything in a ranking of most priority to least priority for the self-driving car, I would program the car to first prioritize the safety of the driver and passengers inside. Then, I would program the car to prioritize minimizing damage to other drivers and the environment around it. With this in mind, the car would first avoid the obstacles to prioritize the safety of the driver and passengers inside and then turn left into the SUV so that less damage is done because the SUV is larger and more protective of the passengers inside.




        The most significant ethical, social, and policy-related issues that arise in connection with self-driving vehicles are the actions of the individuals and companies responsible for the car and production. Questions that need to be asked would be such as who is blamed for the action and how can damage be quantified and determined. When employing the technology of self-driving cars, the repercussions and consequences for all actions need to constantly be considered as multiple avenues of discussion are opened with this new technology.

This is currently an ongoing debate in the world of novel technology. For more information, check these links. 



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