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Week 10 Assignment: Autonomous Systems Risk Assessment

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#assignment  #autonomous systems  #accountability  #week 10 

Week 10 Assignment: Autonomous Systems Risk Assessment#

Due: End of Week 10 | Format: Risk assessment report | Length: 1000-1200 words

📝 Assignment Overview#

Choose an autonomous or semi-autonomous system. Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment examining technical, ethical, legal, and governance dimensions.

📋 System Selection#

Choose one autonomous system:

  • Autonomous Vehicles (self-driving cars: Tesla, Waymo, etc.)
  • Medical Robots (surgery, diagnosis, etc.)
  • Drones/UAVs (delivery, surveillance, military)
  • Autonomous Weapons (theoretical or in development)
  • Robotic Process Automation (business processes)
  • Warehouse Robots (Amazon, other logistics)
  • Your choice (get approval)

📋 Risk Assessment Report (1000-1200 words)#

1. System Overview (150 words)

  • What does the autonomous system do?
  • How autonomous is it? (fully autonomous, semi-autonomous, etc.)
  • Current status: research, limited deployment, widespread use?
  • Key stakeholders and use cases

2. Technical Capabilities & Limitations (200 words)

  • How does the system perceive and make decisions?
  • What tasks can it handle well?
  • What are its limitations?
  • Failure modes: what could go wrong technically?
  • Edge cases and challenging scenarios

3. Safety Considerations (200 words)

  • What are the safety risks?
  • To whom? (operators, public, bystanders, etc.)
  • How likely are accidents or failures?
  • Existing safety measures and testing protocols
  • Are current safety standards adequate?

4. Ethical & Social Issues (200 words)

  • Autonomy and human control: how much should systems decide independently?
  • Life/death decisions: who decides acceptable risk tradeoffs?
  • Accountability: who is responsible when harm occurs?
  • Job displacement and workforce impacts
  • Equity: will benefits/risks be distributed fairly?
  • Privacy and surveillance concerns (if applicable)

5. Legal & Governance Framework (200 words)

  • Current regulations and liability frameworks
  • Who is responsible if an autonomous system causes harm?
    • Manufacturer?
    • Operator/owner?
    • Regulator?
  • Are existing legal frameworks adequate?
  • International dimensions
  • Policy options for oversight

6. Your Assessment (250 words)

  • Should this autonomous system be deployed more widely, paused, or heavily restricted?
  • What conditions would make it more acceptable?
  • What safeguards and oversight are essential?
  • What timeline is appropriate?
  • Remaining uncertainties and open questions

📌 Rubric#

CriteriaPointsDescription
Technical Understanding20%Accurate explanation of how system works
Risk Analysis25%Thorough identification and evaluation of risks
Ethical Reasoning25%Sophisticated engagement with ethical issues
Governance Analysis15%Realistic assessment of legal/policy frameworks
Synthesis15%Clear recommendations and well-reasoned conclusions

💡 Tips for Success#

  • Use technical sources for how system works (papers, documentation)
  • Find case studies of failures or near-misses
  • Include perspectives from safety experts, ethicists, and affected communities
  • Distinguish between technical risk and acceptable risk (policy question)
  • Consider long-term implications, not just current deployment

📤 Submission#

Submit a PDF document via D2L by 11:59 PM on [Due Date].

Include reference list with at least 10-12 sources.

Questions? Office hours or Q&A forum.