Pros And Cons Of Self-Driving

Technologies have advanced dramatically over the past decades because of the introduction of artificial intelligence. Recently, many automotive companies try to improve their vehicles by making their cars autonomous. As shown from a report by the consulting firm Mckinsey & Co., self-driving cars are very appealing as they can potentially reduce road accidents by up to 90 percent [1]. Even though this advancement is widely accepted, they are not yet implemented because of many related ethical issues. Heated debates revolve around what the program should do when it encounters accidents. This essay will argue that self-driving vehicles should protect passengers even if it may put other users of the road at risk because this solution maximizes the benefits of the owner of the car and has the highest chance to minimize human deaths. This will be demonstrated by similar examples of currently existing products and the cost-benefit analysis approach of utilitarianism. …show more content…
For instance, over 30% of U.S. adults are current cigarette smokers [2]. Cigarettes contain nicotine that helps calm smokers and promotes relaxation by reducing stress and anxiety [3]. Nevertheless, smoking creates secondhand smoke which causes cancer and other lethal diseases to those who inhale it [4]. Similar to cigarettes, pre-programming the self-driving cars benefit users by maximizing their safety under accidents. At the same time, they have a chance of causing danger in other users of the road. Since products like cigarettes are considered to be morally acceptable, pre-programmed self-driving cars are of the same nature and should be allowed to protect passengers even with these potential