Subscribers

The moral dilemma in a world of self-driving cars

What is acceptable when technology is not without shortcomings and potentially fatal endings?

Washington

HOW many people could self-driving cars kill before we would no longer tolerate them?

This once-hypothetical question is now taking on greater urgency, particularly among policymakers in Washington. The promise of autonomous vehicles is that they will make our roads safer and more efficient, but no technology is without its shortcomings and unintended consequences - in this instance, potentially fatal consequences.

"What if we can build a car that's 10 times as safe, which means 3,500 people die on the roads each year. Would we accept that?" asks John Hanson, a spokesman for the Toyota Research Institute, which is developing the automaker's self-driving technology. "A lot of people say...

BT is now on Telegram!

For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes