Presentation
Ethical Considerations for Highly Automated and Autonomous Vehicles: A Structured Hierarchy and Methodology
DescriptionGrowing numbers of cities and companies are beginning to deploy state-of-the-art technologies and services such as autonomous cars, robot taxis, delivery- and maintenance-robots, moving information kiosks, and others. As a consequence, it is expected that the public space where people, cars, and robotic systems intermingle will need to undergo transformations to accommodate these new robotic entrants. This accommodation is not only related to the infrastructure and the technology involved, but also concerns people’s grasp of how these “robotic beings” are expected to act, interact, and relate to them in the public space. One important aspect of this accommodation concerns the development of new set of “rules of the road” and priority schemes for interaction between road users, some of which are robotic. We argue that in addition to being technically feasible, these rules and priority schemes need to correspond to both local cultural norms as well as to a universal code of ethics.
We propose a structured hierarchy and methodology for developing ethical decision making in the context of autonomous vehicle behavior (part of the recently published international standard, ISO/DIS 39003). One of the advantages of this approach is that it can be based on any set of ethical values (e.g., the United Nations’ universal values, the Bioethics code of conduct, etc. [3]). The selected values, principles, percepts, and later on the “design maxims” constitute a hierarchy which suggests general guidelines for “standard driving rule” development (see Figure 1 in the supporting information section). Finally, the methodology allows for a formal evaluations of driving rules to make sure they are internally consistent and have broad coverage.
The methodology is based on the values, principles, and percepts as well norms and observation of use cases, a set of maxims is defined. A maxim is a general statement of how to “deal” with specific use cases (Kant, 1856). Every maxim has a formal structure that includes three elements: [1] the action or type of action; [2] the conditions and motives; [3] the end or purpose to be achieved by the action and/or the motive behind the action. Take the case of lane switching, which involves a move from one legal zone (one’s lane) to another legal zone (for which one has no priority over). Maxim-A captures this by suggesting that: [1] entry into another legal zone should be [2] predicated on the need for effectiveness alone , [3] for the purpose of minimizing transitions between legal zones. The lane change should be done in a way to minimize disruption; for example, by switching to the exit lane reasonably well in advance of the exit (e.g., avoiding “the late runner” effect). To this end, Maxim-B states that [1] legal zone switching required for effectiveness [2] should enacted well in advance so as to [3] minimize disruptions to other road users and the flow of traffic. These two maxims serve to derive a protocol for lane change.
We propose a structured hierarchy and methodology for developing ethical decision making in the context of autonomous vehicle behavior (part of the recently published international standard, ISO/DIS 39003). One of the advantages of this approach is that it can be based on any set of ethical values (e.g., the United Nations’ universal values, the Bioethics code of conduct, etc. [3]). The selected values, principles, percepts, and later on the “design maxims” constitute a hierarchy which suggests general guidelines for “standard driving rule” development (see Figure 1 in the supporting information section). Finally, the methodology allows for a formal evaluations of driving rules to make sure they are internally consistent and have broad coverage.
The methodology is based on the values, principles, and percepts as well norms and observation of use cases, a set of maxims is defined. A maxim is a general statement of how to “deal” with specific use cases (Kant, 1856). Every maxim has a formal structure that includes three elements: [1] the action or type of action; [2] the conditions and motives; [3] the end or purpose to be achieved by the action and/or the motive behind the action. Take the case of lane switching, which involves a move from one legal zone (one’s lane) to another legal zone (for which one has no priority over). Maxim-A captures this by suggesting that: [1] entry into another legal zone should be [2] predicated on the need for effectiveness alone , [3] for the purpose of minimizing transitions between legal zones. The lane change should be done in a way to minimize disruption; for example, by switching to the exit lane reasonably well in advance of the exit (e.g., avoiding “the late runner” effect). To this end, Maxim-B states that [1] legal zone switching required for effectiveness [2] should enacted well in advance so as to [3] minimize disruptions to other road users and the flow of traffic. These two maxims serve to derive a protocol for lane change.
Event Type
Lecture
TimeThursday, September 12th4:55pm - 5:15pm MST
LocationFLW Salon B
System Development