18 Nov 2015

Should driver-less cars ever kill their passengers?

From Nine To Noon, 9:20 am on 18 November 2015

While the rise of self-driving, autonomous vehicles promises to dramatically reduce the number of traffic crashes, some accidents will still happen - and in those cases the cars themselves will choose how to react.

This is already leading to some confronting moral and ethical dilemmas. 

How should a self-driving car react in these situations? Bonnefon et al.

How should a self-driving car react in these situations? Bonnefon et al. Photo: supplied

Think about this, you're in a self-driving car and, after turning a corner, you are on course for an unavoidable collision with a group of 10 pedestrians. Should the car swerve to the side into the wall and sacrifice you, the sole occupant ? Or should it make every attempt to keep you safe?

Jean-Francois Bonnefon from the Toulouse School of Economics has published a new paper on the subject, he talks to Kathryn Ryan.