Readings

The readings for this week focus on self-driving cars:

• The Menace and the Promise of Autonomous Vehicles

• Self-Driving Cars Still Don't Know How to See

• Uber Video Shows the Kind of Crash Self-Driving Cars Are Made to Avoid

• Victim who died in Tesla crash had complained about Autopilot

• Enough With the Trolley Problem

• Cities Have Taken the Lead in Regulating Driverless Vehicles

Optional: Self-Driving Cars

These articles discuss the push for self-driving cars:

• Have Autonomous Vehicles Hit A Roadblock?

• GM Drops the Steering Wheel and Gives Robot Driver Control

• Ford’s billion-dollar self-driving car AI deal

• All Tesla Cars Being Produced Now Have Full Self-Driving Hardware

These articles focus on Uber and Lyft's push into self-driving cars:

• Uber's First Self-Driving Fleet Arrives in Pittsburgh This Month

• The Arrival of Self-Driving Ubers in Pittsburgh

• Lyft says robots will drive most of its cars in five years

• Uber Suspends Tests of Self-Driving Vehicles After Arizona Crash

These articles consider two recent accidents involving self-driving cars:

• Self-Driving Uber Car Kills Pedestrian in Arizona, Where Robots Roam

  • Police Say Uber Is Likely Not at Fault for Its Self-Driving Car Fatality in Arizona

  • Uber Victim Stepped Suddenly in Front of Self-Driving Car

• Tesla Model X fatal crash investigation

  • Tesla says Autopilot was active during fatal crash in Mountain View

  • EXCLUSIVE: Tesla issues strongest statement yet blaming driver for deadly crash

These articles consider the safety of self-driving cars in general:

• Self-driving car accidents: Robot drivers are ‘odd, and that’s why they get hit’

• Car makers can't "drive their way to safety" with self-driving cars

• Self-driving cars still can’t mimic the most natural human behavior

These articles discuss the growing regulation of self-driving cars:

• Cities Need to Take the Wheel in Our Driverless Future

• Feds defend voluntary robot car regulations

• U.S. House unanimously approves sweeping self-driving car measure

• Self-Driving Cars Must Meet 15 Benchmarks in U.S. Guidance

These articles consider the social dilemma of self-driving cars:

• The social dilemma of autonomous vehicles

• Tesla's 'Autopilot' Will Make Mistakes. Humans Will Overreact.

• Your Self-Driving Car Will Be Programmed to Kill You-Deal With It

This contains a series of short stories or articles related to self-driving cars:

• Full Tilt: When 100% of Cars Are Autonomous

Questions

Please write a response to one of the following questions:

1. After reading some of the articles above, address the following questions:

   • What is the motivation for developing and building self-driving cars? What are the arguments for and against self-driving cars? Would they make our roads safer?

   • How should programmers address the "social dilemma of autonomous vehicles"? How should an artificial intelligence approach life-and-death situations? Who is liable for when an accident happens?

   • What do you believe will be the social, economic, and political impact of self-driving cars? What role should the government play in regulating self-driving cars?

   • Would you want a self-driving car? Explain why or why not.