Moral problem: - Should the driver or a group of people/a child be prioritized in situations where death cannot be avouded - Should a group of people/a child be prioritized even if this results in fewer people buying the vehicle. Autonomous vehicles have the potential to overall reduce the number of accidents. The moral agents: - The manufacturer/programmers - Potential car buyers - The owner of the vehicle Stakeholders: - Manufacturer: Wants people to buy their cars - Traffic participants and pedestrians: Want maximize safety, minimize risk of accidents - Buyer/driver: Wants to increase their own chances of survival in a potential accident - Friends and relatives of the above parties (practically everyone in society): Fewer and less deadly accidents Moral values at stake: - Life, health, happiness - Conflict: - Egoistics will to value own life - Minimize total harm/maximize happiness - Choosing which life is more valuable Potential options: - Let driver select "mode" of car. - Good in libertarian principles - Moral problem is moved to the driver - Let driver decide, but with incentives (lower taxes, other priviledges, ...) - The incentives potentially increase inequalities in society (class differences, ...) - Fewer choose the "egoist mode" -> more overall profit - Don't program cars to kill - Bad from utilitarian approach. Just brake. - Avoids active choice of swerving, by passive choice of braking. But is braking really a passive choice? What are relevant facts? - Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are allowed to kill driver: - Fewer people buy AVs (supported by study) -> leading to more accidents - Utailtarian approach (supported by study) - Driver has choice (with optional incentives) - Some might still choose utalitarian alternative - Shaming for choosing egoistic alternative in media - AVs must value drivers life over life of others - Worse from utalitarian perspective Ethical evaluation: - Consequential ethics: - Preference utilitarianism: - Allowed to kill driver: Low acceptability - Driver has choice: High acceptability - Prioritize driver: Medium acceptability - Hedonistic/rule utilitarianism: - Allowed to kill driver: High acceptability - Driver has choice: Medium acceptability - Prioritize driver: Low acceptability - Deontological ethics: - Freedom: - Allowed to kill driver: Medium acceptability - Driver has choice: Medium acceptability - Prioritize driver: Medium acceptability - Virtue ethics: - Allowed to kill driver: High acceptability - Driver has choice: Medium acceptability - Prioritize driver: Low acceptability - Our moral intuition: - Varying opinions in the group Conclusion - Driver has choice