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Week 10: Autonomous Systems

1 min read (178 words)
#autonomous systems  #robotics  #accountability 

Week 10: Autonomous Systems#

Focus: Self-driving cars, robotics, accountability

📚 Required Readings#

Primary Readings#

  1. “The Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles” (30 min)

    • How self-driving cars work (sensors, decision-making)
    • The trolley problem and real-world tradeoffs
    • Liability and insurance in autonomous systems
    • Safety standards and testing protocols

  2. “Robots in Society: Accountability and Control” (25 min)

    • Where are robots deployed? What tasks?
    • Human-robot interaction and trust
    • Who is responsible when autonomous systems cause harm?

Supplementary Resources#

  • Tesla autopilot incidents and investigations
  • Boston Dynamics robots — Current capabilities and concerns
  • “Why Accountability Matters for Autonomous Weapons” — Brief overview

💭 Discussion Prompts#

  1. Who should be held liable when an autonomous vehicle causes an accident?
  2. How much human oversight is necessary for autonomous systems?
  3. Should there be limits on where robots or autonomous systems can be deployed?

📝 Preparation for Class#

  • Research one autonomous system currently in use (self-driving car, delivery robot, medical robot, etc.)
  • Prepare: How it works, current limitations, real-world incidents if any
  • Consider: What could go wrong? What safeguards exist?

🔗 Related Assignment#

See Week 10 Assignment for this week’s task.