Wataru

This is a great focus on the human element, which has obviously been greatly neglected in the planning thus far. We need that smart UI/UX thinking to help us plan the right road ahead for future autonomous — drivers? operators? I wonder if there is something to be learned from the training of pilots on simulations.

My cousin has a Tesla, and she was explaining that the self-driving feature required a $6k software upgrade, but she was able to try it out for free. She said the car reacted (I think with a beep or alarm or something) if her hands were not in the proper place on the steering wheel.

We know from experience with regular cars that “driver education” is not that effective (ie, people speed, drive drunk, etc, every day). So can we dispense with the idea that we have to educate people, and instead find a way to ensure that the person in the driver’s seat is paying attention?

Sure seems more effective to have simulation training, coupled with real live feedback (like wake up! You haven’t touched the wheel in 5 minutes).

This is a fascinating topic, and one that will bring people a lot of anxiety! I doubt the average person realizes that these life-and-death decisions are being discussed (and made?) now, nor that self-driving cars will save hundreds of lives in the end.

I have to say, regarding the topic of assurance insurance, I’m either horrified by it or I don’t fully understand it. Is the implication that you can pay money to boost your chances of survival when a self-driving car has to make a split-second decision? I’m also troubled by the idea that a machine might know that a person is making or could soon make a valuable contribution to society, ie, curing cancer, and therefore assign a higher value to that person’s life.

In the end, I think if we set norms for self-driving cars that deviate significantly from the current moral judgements we make while driving, people’s anxiety, reluctance and downright opposition to AI will only increase.

I’m also wondering about the question of accountability. Who is responsible for bad outcomes: the car manufacturer? the owner? the software company? While I agree with Vince’s point that we should adhere to moral norms when possible, we are dealing with options for accountability here that are new and challenging!

I liked the framework of ELSI, which one of the readings suggested: thinking about the Ethical, Legal, and Social implications of any given technology. I’m wondering the extent to which these are “new” moral questions, or whether even with new technology, the questions are not rooted in the ones that have concerned us for generations past.

This is fascinating! It raises the question of: how can we potentially use artificial intelligence to solve the problems artificial intelligence raises? Very meta and thought-provoking. I, too, am skeptical, but I like the idea that we could harness technology to address the dilemmas raised in this week’s readings.

When technology outruns policy, should it be forced to slow down? We will have a great discussion on this, particularly around the week on ethics and technology.