Posted on October 31, 2018, and tagged as
The question is chilling, the answer depends on where you live.
MIT Technology Review reports on the moral choices programmers of self-driving cars will have to face when avoiding accidents:
Should a self-driving car prioritize humans over pets, passengers over pedestrians, more lives over fewer, women over men, young over old, fit over sickly, higher social status over lower, law-abiders over law-benders? And finally, should the car swerve (take action) or stay on course (inaction)? ...
The researchers found that countries’ preferences differ widely, but they also correlate highly with culture and economics. For example, participants from collectivist cultures like China and Japan are less likely to spare the young over the old—perhaps, the researchers hypothesized, because of a greater emphasis on respecting the elderly.
It’s a fascinating read. What would you decide?
