Ethics of Computing CS Thinking Example 4

Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.

Example 4

hard
An autonomous car must choose between two unavoidable crash scenarios: hitting one pedestrian or swerving into a wall and injuring the passenger. Who should the car prioritise, and who should make this decision — the programmer, the car owner, or the government?

Solution

  1. 1
    Step 1: This is a modern version of the 'trolley problem'. There is no universally agreed answer. Utilitarians might minimise total harm; rights-based ethicists might argue against actively choosing to harm anyone.
  2. 2
    Step 2: Who decides: programmers lack democratic legitimacy for life-death decisions. Car owners have a conflict of interest (they will prioritise themselves). Government regulation through public consultation may be most legitimate but is slow.
  3. 3
    Step 3: Practical considerations: these scenarios are extremely rare, the car should primarily focus on avoiding all crashes, and clear legal frameworks are needed before deployment.

Answer

No easy answer. Government regulation through public consultation is the most legitimate decision-maker. The primary engineering goal should be avoiding all crashes, not choosing who to harm.
Ethical dilemmas in computing often have no perfect solution. The value of studying them is not reaching 'the answer' but developing the ability to analyse trade-offs, consider stakeholders, and reason through consequences.

About Ethics of Computing

The study of moral issues and responsibilities that arise from the development and use of computing technology. Computing ethics examines questions of fairness, bias, privacy, intellectual property, environmental impact, and the societal consequences of automation and artificial intelligence.

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More Ethics of Computing Examples

Example 1 easy

Give three examples of ethical issues in computing and explain why each is a concern.

Example 2 medium

A company develops an AI that can generate realistic fake videos (deepfakes) of anyone. Discuss the

Example 3 medium

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