Prof. Dr. Mark Coeckelbergh, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

Lecture
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Oesterreichisches Forschungsinstitut fuer Artificial Intelligence(OFAI) der OSGK
Freyung 6/6, A-1010 Wien
Tel: +43-1-5336112-17,  Fax: +43-1-5336112-77, Email: sec@ofai.at

Prof. Dr. Mark Coeckelbergh
Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK


"THE ETHICS OF SELF-DRIVING CARS: THE PROBLEM OF CO-DRIVING 
AND THE PROBLEM OF OTHER CARS"


Should we develop and use fully automated, intelligent self-driving
cars rather than human drivers? Can such cars ever be safe? Can they be
ethical? Are such cars a threat to humanity or is removing humans from
the picture the solution? This talk discusses the ethics of
self-driving cars by considering the scenario of human/non-human
co-driving: what does this mean for the experience of driving and what
problems could arise? First the talk addresses problems regarding
attention, disengagement, and responsibility in cases when there is
hybrid or alternating human/non-human agency. Then the moral-social
experience of the humans is further explored by focusing on car driving
as a social practice. There is for instance what we could call the
problem of "other cars": when a car is perceived there may be
uncertainty about its status (human or non-human), which may create
difficulties for forming social expectations. And if it is clear that
it is a self-driving car, its "mind" and "intentions" might not be
clear. In addition there could be problems related to cultural
differences: if driving habits are different in different societies and
cultures, how can the design of such autonomous systems deal with this?

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Time: Wednesday, 21st October 2015, 6.30 p.m. sharp

Location:  Oesterreichisches Forschungsinstitut
fuer Artificial Intelligence, OFAI
Freyung 6, Stiege 6, 1010 Wien


OESTERREICHISCHES FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT
FUER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Univ.-Prof. Ing. Dr. Robert Trappl

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