The Challenging Ethics of Driverless Cars

Driverless cars used to be the ambitious dreams of science fiction. Now, it's a reality. And while there have been great advances in the technology, some say we've still got a long way to go before driverless cars show up on your favorite car dealership.

A recent study by MIT, covered in this article from the Wall Street Journal, shows the ethical complexities surrounding decisions autonomous cars will need to make. 

In a study published in Science, researchers found people want the cars to be programmed to minimize casualties while on the road. But when asked about what kind of vehicle they might actually purchase, they chose a car that would protect the passengers first. The paper describes a series of online surveys that posited various scenarios.

Read the full article here