2 Day 2: AI and Self-Driving Cars 2 Day 2: AI and Self-Driving Cars
Opening Question: What standard of safety should we expect autonomous vehicles to meet? Would it be enough if they got in half as many severe traffic accidents as human drivers presently do?
Assignment: http://moralmachine.mit.edu/ (Try out a few scenarios before class).
2.1. “Whose Life Should Your Car Save?” by Jean-François Bonnefon, Azim Shariff, Iyad Rahwan (New York Times, 2016)
The authors introduce challenging ethical questions related to how autonomous vehicles should handle unavoidable accidents with potentially lethal consequences. Should autonomous vehicles prioritize the safety of their passengers relative to that of pedestrians and passengers in other vehicles?
2.2. [OPTIONAL REFERENCE] “The Social Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicles” by Jean-François Bonnefon, Azim Shariff, Iyad Rahwan (Science, 2016)
2.3. “How Drive.ai is Mastering Autonomous Driving With Deep Learning” by Evan Ackerman (IEEE, 2017)
Ackerman explores the challenges and promises involved in developing heavily AI-dependent autonomous vehicle platforms. What level of “black box” opacity should we accept in an autonomous vehicle’s decisionmaking process?
2.4. “Can You Sue a Robocar?” by Ian Bogost (The Atlantic, 2018)
This article discusses a recent Uber autonomous vehicle test involving a fatality. Is there a fundamental difference between a human driver killing someone and an autonomous vehicle killing someone? Why or why not?
2.5. “Tesla’s Self-Driving System Cleared in Deadly Crash” by Neal E. Boudette (New York Times, 2017)
This article describes the outcome of an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot mode following a deadly collision in May 2016. In instances where human drivers have contributed to the behavior of autonomous vehicle systems, how should liability be distributed between the human and the system?