In March of 2018, Elon Musk claimed that: “self driving [technology] will encompass all modes of driving by the end of next year” (Lambert, 2018). In my opinion, these estimates tend to be misguided, but nevertheless a careful consideration of these self-driving cars would appear to be essential. TedEd has a brilliant animated video looking at the ethics of self-driving cars, particularly how self-driving cars ought to deal with scenarios in which lives may be at stake. In order to not sound like a complete luddite, I will address the pros of adopting self-driving, but ultimately argue that we should be wary to adopt them due to the real ethical problems that can arise.

To begin with, upwards of 30,000 people die in traffic-related accidents in the United States alone. Some statistics suggest that of these traffic-related accidents 94% of them are due to driver error. So those in favour of self-driving cars seem to have statistics on their side, as the Eno Centre for Transportation estimates that deaths could fall from 33,000 to 11,000. Additionally, the phenomenon of traffic would be effectively eliminated were self-driving cars to populate our highways – this will improve the efficiency of CO2 emissions and also the productivity of the driver (Thompson, 2016). Commutes will be streamlined for efficiency and safety, you could read on the way to work, save time to collect your thoughts as your self-driving vehicle takes care of all of the work. So much time in fact that according to Wee and Bertoncello (2015) that commuters will save 1 billion hours that are wasted driving to and from places. Additionally, about 190 billion US dollars are estimated to be saved from the overall cost of traffic accidents (Thompson, 2016). In short, self-driving cars would be better for the environment, for the economy and just better for us in every way. Ipso facto, we should be very eager to buy ourselves a self-driving car. Not so fast.

In March of 2018 (again?), Elaine Herzberg was crossing the road when a self-driving Uber vehicle struck and killed her (Alpert, 2018). Before we go on, it is important to note some key facts about this incident. First off, the self-driving vehicle was traveling under the speed limit with no intention of slowing down, so maybe we should be afraid of

murderous psychopathic AI in ours cars! However, it’s not quite that simple (when is it ever?). Herzberg was not crossing legally, she was jaywalking and there were multiple signs showing that crossing in that area is forbidden. Self-driving technology enthusiasts were quick to point this out and whether or not we blame them or maybe the government of Arizona for designing shoddy and inhospitable pedestrian crosswalks, there are real ethical issues to be considered. It goes back all the way to everyone’s favourite ethical dilemma, Philippa Foote’s Trolley Problem – which, to put it briefly, presents a rational agent with the option of killing either 5 people or 1 (if we flip the switch) with a trolley. I will set aside discussions of whether there is a distinction between killing and letting die for another article, but suffice it to say that self-driving cars create a new form of trolley problem.

Not just one type of trolley problem, but endless different types of them can be generated for self-driving cars. MIT’s Moral Machine does precisely this with their user-friendly “game” where 13 scenarios are presented wherein you get to decide what a self-driving a car ought to do in a problematic situation. These cases are designed to stress-test your moral intuitions and they work by changing small details to ascertain where our moral prejudices lie. Here is one such example:

In the first scenario (left) 1 infant, 1 man and 1 woman will kill two doctors who are following the law by crossing a green light. In the second scenario (right), the car will veer off to the right killing its passengers and saving the lives of the doctors. Either scenario is problematic, demonstrating the true definition of a dilemma, not the one used in common parlance: where a decision has to be made between two equally unappealing scenarios. The situation can be twisted and turned to test all the facets of people’s moral barometers, but the issue still stands. Whoever is responsible for programming a self-driving car is effectively deciding who gets to live or die, they effectively dole out street justice. The right strategy, whether it be to minimise harm or protect the passenger at all costs are two distinct programs which self-driving cars can interpret and in so doing alter the automotive world. I urge you to try the the Moral Machine out for yourself to see an excellent depiction of the ethical dilemmas that arise in adopting self-driving cars. In fact, the information from the Moral Machine and perhaps many other surveys could inform what happens on self-driving highway years from now.

It may seem that I have treated the problem of self-driving cars unfairly, adopting these vehicles may significantly improve the environment, economy and personal happiness of individuals. After all, maybe these scenarios are unlikely to happen and when they do as in the case of Elaine Herzberg, perhaps we should always blame the individuals who flout the law. This will set up a dangerous precedent in my opinion and I am not quite comfortable with this line of reasoning. If I have failed to argue against self-driving cars, I still believe that serious caution must be exercised. A watchful eye must be kept on the programmers who will change the lives of so many people, so many years from now.

Bibliography and Works Cited:

The Moral Machine developed by MIT http://moralmachine.mit.edu Lambert, Fred. “Tesla CEO Elon Musk: ‘Self-driving cars will encompass all modes of driving by the end of next year'”. March 2018 Alpert, David. “How the Self-Driving Dream Might Become a Nightmare”. March 2018. Thompson, Cadie. “The 3 biggest ways self-driving cars will improve our lives”. June 2016. Bertoncello, Michele & Wee, Dominik. “Ten ways autonomous driving could redefine the automotive world”. June 2015. Lin, Patrick. “The Ethical Dilemma of self-driving cars”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixIoDYVfKA0 December 2015.