Ethics of Self-Driving Cars

<p>Watch&nbsp;this TED Ed Talk from Patrick Lin that frames the ethical debates around self-driving car technology.&nbsp;</p>

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<p><br />
Here are some sample questions to think about while you watch this presentation.</p>

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<strong>Q: What was the difference between a reaction and a decision?</strong><br />
A: Reactions are instinctive actions without forethought, while decisions have pre-planned intent.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Why will self-driving cars be judged as making &ldquo;decisions&rdquo; rather than merely &ldquo;reactions?&rdquo;</strong><br />
A: Because the car&#39;s behavior will likely be pre-programmed by coders</p>

<p><strong>Q: Do you think consumers would buy self-driving cars designed to keep bystanders safe, or the driver?</strong> Discuss.</p>

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These &lsquo;ethics experiments&rsquo; may not truly play out with real self-driving cars but the experiments help us to hone our ethical intuitions by presenting edge cases.<br />
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<p><strong>Clip #1 Discussion: Safety (9 mins)</strong><br />
Play this audio clip and write down the essence of the Yes and No arguments on your&nbsp;papers.</p>

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<p><strong>Discussion</strong></p>

<p>Formulate the Yes argument and then have someone else create the No argument. Now, discuss with each other which argument was stronger. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes. Pause the group discussions, and get ready for the next section.</p>

<p>Explore various scenarios with the<strong> Moral Machine trolley Problem</strong> online simulator game to gain practice with making ethical choices. What choices will you make?</p>

<p><a href="https://www.moralmachine.net/" target="_blank">Click here to play the game!</a></p>

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