Some of the most important cognitive abilities of the human brain are perception, attention and motor skills, which lead to decision-making and problem solving. With the latest technology these abilities are implemented into physical objects, with the hope of solving society´s toughest and most pressing problems. The technology behind this idea is called “Internet of Things” (IoT).
The concept of the “Internet of things” creates a world where physical objects are seamlessly connected to the virtual world by embedded sensors, networking and communication-technologies. As a result, traditional ‘things’ will become intelligent, autonomous and active participants of our daily lives.
Therefore, the concept of the “Internet of things” is considered to be a disruptive technology that can create new and change existing industries. A Self-driving car is one of the achievements of the latest IoT solutions. Automobile companies like Tesla have understood the benefits and future opportunities for integrating IoT technologies into their core businesses. Self-driving car experiences are shared among people on YouTube, which create highly positive reactions. Through sensor technologies embedded in the car such as road condition sensors, vehicle sensors and hands-free systems the driver does not have to take control of the steering.
If these technologies are introduced to a wider range of automobiles, this will undoubtedly create several benefits. First and foremost, it will lead to fewer accidents because the leading cause of most automobile accidents today is driver error. Alcohol, drugs, speeding, aggressive driving, inexperience, slow reaction time and ignoring road conditions are all contributing factors.
Now, imagine a city with only self-driving cars, where every car follows the speed limit, indeed then there can be a decrease in accidents and traffic jams because everything is controlled by technology. Furthermore, the car will take the passengers to their destination, without or with only minimal physical involvement of the driver.
But what if somebody runs into the street right ahead of the car and a crash is inevitable, with the only two options being a) you crash and die, or b) the car crashing into the person who ran on to the street?
Engineers at MIT are already working on this case referred as “Moral Machine”. The concept of “Moral Machine” is, it lets people judge a series of accident scenarios to decide who lives and who dies. A driver can participate in a simulation, where he can choose from a variety of victims like animals, criminals, men, women, young and old. After the driver has judged who he prefers to protect most and kill most the information will be crowdsourced. The goal behind this research is to find an answer, how machines should handle these moral dilemmas.
Despite the numerous ethical concerns, the failure of the technology can lead to unexpected and unpredictable behaviour which can have devastating effects on people’s life. If we allow a machine to make moral-decision then networks need to be properly secured as studies have shown how hackers were able to connect to the on-board system and take over the control of the car. Hence, the first challenge is to provide secure, protected and reliable technologies. Otherwise we will all end up like the guy from the movie “Ex Machina”.
Hit the link and try out the “Moral Machine” –> http://moralmachine.mit.edu/
