Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are vehicles that can drive themselves without human intervention. They use sensors, cameras, artificial intelligence, and software to perceive their environment and make decisions. AVs have the potential to improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion, enhance mobility, and create new economic opportunities. However, they also pose significant ethical challenges that need to be addressed before they can be widely adopted.
One of the most prominent ethical issues is how AVs should behave in situations where harm is unavoidable. For example, imagine a runaway trolley barreling down on five people standing on the tracks up ahead. You can pull a lever to divert the trolley onto a different set of tracks where only one person is standing. Is the moral choice to do nothing and let the five people die? Or should you hit the switch and therefore actively participate in a different person’s death?
This is known as the “trolley problem”, a classic thought experiment in moral philosophy. AVs may face similar dilemmas on the road, such as whether to swerve to avoid hitting a pedestrian but risk crashing into a wall, or whether to hit a motorcyclist wearing a helmet or one without. How should AVs be programmed to make these decisions? Who should be responsible for setting the ethical rules? And how should these rules be communicated and justified to the public?
Another ethical issue is how AVs should balance safety and efficiency. AVs are expected to reduce human error and prevent many accidents, but they may not be able to eliminate all risks. Moreover, AVs may have to break some traffic laws or norms in order to optimize their performance or adapt to changing situations. For instance, should an AV speed up to catch a green light or slow down to avoid a yellow one? Should an AV cross a double yellow line to overtake a slow vehicle or stay behind it? Should an AV yield to an aggressive human driver or assert its right of way?
These questions involve trade-offs between safety and efficiency, as well as between individual and collective interests. How should AVs weigh these factors and make trade-offs? What criteria should be used to measure and compare safety and efficiency? And how should these criteria be aligned with human values and expectations?
A third ethical issue is how AVs should interact with other road users, both human and non-human. AVs will have to share the road with human drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, animals, and other AVs. They will have to communicate their intentions and actions, as well as understand and respond to the signals and behaviors of others. For example, how should an AV signal its intention to change lanes or turn? How should an AV interpret a hand gesture or a horn honk from another driver? How should an AV react to a jaywalking pedestrian or a darting animal?
These questions involve social and emotional aspects of driving, such as cooperation, trust, courtesy, and empathy. How should AVs incorporate these aspects into their design and operation? What social norms and conventions should AVs follow or create? And how should AVs foster positive and respectful relationships with other road users?
These are some of the ethical issues that need to be explored in the context of autonomous vehicles. They are not easy to answer, nor are they static or universal. They may vary depending on the level of automation, the type of vehicle, the driving scenario, the cultural setting, and the personal preferences of the users. They may also evolve over time as technology advances, society changes, and new challenges emerge.
Therefore, exploring the ethical landscape of autonomous vehicles requires an ongoing and inclusive dialogue among various stakeholders, such as engineers, policymakers, regulators, ethicists, consumers, and civil society groups. It also requires a multidisciplinary and holistic approach that combines technical expertise with ethical reflection and social responsibility.
By engaging in this dialogue and approach, we can ensure that autonomous vehicles are not only safe and efficient but also ethical and respectful of human dignity and values.