Moral Machine is a website that presents the user with a series of choices related to ethics and morality. It can be used in both social studies and religion and ethics. It is an interactive platform developed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab. It is an online tool that allows users to think through and evaluate moral dilemmas that may arise in the context of autonomous vehicles.
Through the Moral Machine, users can explore how different decisions regarding priorities in an emergency situation can affect various stakeholders, such as pedestrians, passengers in the car, the driver, or others who may be affected by the event. The purpose of the tool is to increase awareness of ethical issues related to the development of autonomous technology and to help people reflect on what is right and wrong in such situations.
All you need is a web browser.
Task suggestions:
- Choose one of the choices you made. Why did you choose that particular outcome?
- Were there any choices that were harder than others? Why?
- What do you think about the possibility of a machine making these kinds of decisions in the future?
- Who do you think should be held responsible for an accident involving an autonomous vehicle? The occupants? A pedestrian who breaks a traffic rule? Explain.
A TED talk about Moral Machine