As self-driving cars take over our roadways, a pressing question still remains: when a crash is unavoidable, who should they protect? In this episode, we’ll navigate the toughest ethical dilemmas autonomous vehicles face in life-or-death scenarios, exploring the leading philosophical theories on how these cars should be programmed to react.

Timestamps:

Minimizing harm — 4:22

Protecting the passenger — 7:13

Protecting the public — 9:04

Consent — 10:58

Equality — 12:30

Risk — 14:50

Sources:

Men harass woman taking driverless Waymo car in San Francisco

Why Ethics Matters for Autonomous Cars

The ethics of crashes with self‐driving cars: A roadmap, I

Why Everyone Has It Wrong About the Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous Driving Ethics: from Trolley Problem to Ethics of Risk

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit justquestionspod.substack.com