Join us as we debate the ethics of autonomous vehicles.
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Speaker
Blay Whitby
Synopsis
For more than a decade I have been involved in discussions concerning the widespread introduction of driverless cars and, topically, driverless HGVs. It is often felt in the industry and political circles that the obstacles now have more to do with law, insurance, and public acceptance than with technical difficulties.
Although it is always impossible to completely separate the technological from the social, for the purposes of this talk I will concentrate on the social problems involved in introducing driverless cars.
These include, among others, the question of what standards of driving competence should we demand from driverless vehicles - equal to that of human drivers or significantly better? Just how assertive should we program them to be in mixed traffic? How should we determine who is responsible in the event of an accident or error and is it even necessary to apportion blame?
This is a highly complex and nuanced area that I hope will prompt debate. I can’t offer a set of definite answers but I can perhaps show just how important the area of technology ethics is and just how difficult some of these questions on examination turn out to be.
Our events are for adults aged 16 years and over.
This event is brought to you by: BCS Sussex branch
