What moral decisions should driverless cars make? | Iyad Rahwan

Summary

In this thought-provoking talk, the speaker explores the ethical dilemmas surrounding driverless car technology, specifically focusing on how these cars should make life-and-death decisions in critical situations. Drawing from the famous trolley problem, the speaker highlights society's discomfort with making such choices and the challenges of regulating autonomous vehicles. Through a survey, they reveal people's preferences for utilitarian decision-making, but also uncover the social dilemma of individuals wanting safety while others minimize harm. The talk emphasizes the need for collective societal agreement on these trade-offs and the role of regulation in managing these complex ethical questions.

Takeaways

• 😀 Traffic accidents cause over 1.2 million deaths worldwide each year, with human error being the main contributor.
• 😀 Driverless car technology promises to significantly reduce accidents by eliminating human error.
• 😀 A key ethical dilemma for driverless cars involves deciding whether the car should harm one person to save others, inspired by the trolley problem.
• 😀 While people generally support minimizing harm, they prefer cars that protect them, revealing a social dilemma.
• 😀 Society's willingness to embrace driverless cars depends on balancing safety, technology, and ethical trade-offs.
• 😀 Public opinion surveys show that while people support utilitarian ethics (minimizing total harm), they are unwilling to purchase cars that might sacrifice their own safety.
• 😀 The 'tragedy of the commons' concept is relevant when thinking about the regulation of driverless cars, where individual interests may conflict with the common good.
• 😀 The rise of algorithmic decision-making in driverless cars introduces new challenges in managing societal values and ethical choices.
• 😀 Regulation can help solve social dilemmas, but people may resist regulations that require sacrifices, even if they result in greater overall safety.
• 😀 The Moral Machine project is an initiative that collects public opinions on ethical dilemmas related to driverless cars, helping to understand societal preferences across cultures.
• 😀 The regulation of autonomous vehicles is not just a technological issue but also a societal cooperation problem, requiring broad consensus on ethical standards.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is the ethical and societal dilemmas surrounding the implementation of driverless car technology, particularly in situations where the car must make life-or-death decisions, and the trade-offs involved in regulating such technology.

How many people die in traffic accidents annually, according to the video?

According to the video, 35,000 people die from traffic crashes in the US annually, and globally, 1.2 million people die each year in traffic accidents.

What does driverless car technology promise to achieve?

Driverless car technology promises to eliminate human error, which is the main source of accidents, and could potentially reduce traffic-related deaths by up to 90%, or even 99% in the future.

What ethical dilemma is introduced in the video?

The ethical dilemma involves a driverless car encountering a situation where it must choose between two outcomes: either crashing into pedestrians or swerving to hit a bystander to save the pedestrians, leading to questions about how these decisions should be made and who should decide.

What is the trolley problem, and how is it relevant to the video?

The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics where a person must choose between two harmful outcomes. It is used in the video to illustrate the kind of moral decisions that driverless cars might need to make when faced with unavoidable accidents.

How do most people feel about the ethical choices driverless cars might make?

Most people, according to the survey mentioned in the video, side with utilitarian ethics, meaning they support the car minimizing total harm, even if it requires sacrificing an individual. However, when it comes to purchasing such cars, they would prefer to have personal protection at all costs.

What is a social dilemma, and how does it relate to driverless cars?

A social dilemma occurs when individuals make choices that are rational for themselves but collectively lead to negative outcomes for the community. In the context of driverless cars, it refers to passengers prioritizing their own safety, potentially leading to more harm overall, as everyone makes decisions that benefit themselves at the expense of the common good.

What historical example is used to explain the social dilemma in driverless cars?

The historical example used is the 'tragedy of the commons,' where a group of farmers overgrazing land for their sheep leads to a collectively negative outcome. In the case of driverless cars, this applies to car owners prioritizing their own safety, which may undermine the common good of minimizing harm.

What is the 'tragedy of the algorithmic commons'?

The 'tragedy of the algorithmic commons' refers to the new challenges posed by autonomous cars making decisions based on algorithms that may prioritize the safety of passengers over pedestrians, even without human intervention. This creates a situation where the algorithm’s choices can harm the greater public good.

What solution does the video propose for regulating driverless cars?

The video suggests that regulations should be put in place to ensure that all driverless cars minimize harm, but acknowledges the challenge that individuals may reject this regulation if they feel their own safety is compromised. It calls for societal collaboration to determine and enforce acceptable trade-offs in car safety and ethics.