Incorporating Ethical Considerations Into Automated Vehicle Control

Thornton, Sarah M.; Pan, Selina; Erlien, Stephen M.; Gerdes, J. Christian

doi:10.1109/tits.2016.2609339

Cited by 83 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Such virtues or behavioral traits could relate to the type of role a vehicle is assigned to (e.g., ambulance versus passenger vehicle). This consideration of role morality may lend greater social acceptance of such AVs (Thornton et al, 2017). Virtues within machines cannot be preprogrammed, yet are due to the result of machine learning (Berberich & Diepold, 2018).…”

Section: Approaches From Virtue Ethicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomous Driving Ethics: from Trolley Problem to Ethics of Risk

et al. 2021

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In 2017, the German ethics commission for automated and connected driving released 20 ethical guidelines for autonomous vehicles. It is now up to the research and industrial sectors to enhance the development of autonomous vehicles based on such guidelines. In the current state of the art, we find studies on how ethical theories can be integrated. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no framework for motion planning has yet been published which allows for the true implementation of any practical ethical policies. This paper makes four contributions: Firstly, we briefly present the state of the art based on recent works concerning unavoidable accidents of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and identify further need for research. While most of the research focuses on decision strategies in moral dilemmas or crash optimization, we aim to develop an ethical trajectory planning for all situations on public roads. Secondly, we discuss several ethical theories and argue for the adoption of the theory “ethics of risk.” Thirdly, we propose a new framework for trajectory planning, with uncertainties and an assessment of risks. In this framework, we transform ethical specifications into mathematical equations and thus create the basis for the programming of an ethical trajectory. We present a risk cost function for trajectory planning that considers minimization of the overall risk, priority for the worst-off and equal treatment of people. Finally, we build a connection between the widely discussed trolley problem and our proposed framework.

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Section: Approaches From Virtue Ethicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomous Driving Ethics: from Trolley Problem to Ethics of Risk

et al. 2021

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“…Domain-specific. Thornton et al [132] combine deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics to optimize driving goals in automated vehicle control. Constraints and costs on vehicle goals are determined on the basis of both deontological and consequentialist considerations.…”

Section: A16 Configurable Ethicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementations in Machine Ethics

et al. 2020

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Increasingly complex and autonomous systems require machine ethics to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks to society arising from the new technology. It is challenging to decide which type of ethical theory to employ and how to implement it effectively. This survey provides a threefold contribution. First, it introduces a trimorphic taxonomy to analyze machine ethics implementations with respect to their object (ethical theories), as well as their nontechnical and technical aspects. Second, an exhaustive selection and description of relevant works is presented. Third, applying the new taxonomy to the selected works, dominant research patterns, and lessons for the field are identified, and future directions for research are suggested.

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“…Thornton et al present a motion planning framework based on Model Predictive Control [10]. In contrast to [7], constraints are explicitly formulated as hard and soft constraints.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this separation often remains unconsidered in recent publications (e.g. [3], [10]). Figure 2 shows logical components of the tactical and the stabilization level.…”

Section: Architectural Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Representing the Unknown – Impact of Uncertainty on the Interaction between Decision Making and Trajectory Generation

Nolte

Ernst

Richelmann

et al. 2018

2018 21st International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC)

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Even though motion planning for automated vehicles has been extensively discussed for more than two decades, it is still a highly active field of research with a variety of different approaches having been published in the recent years. When considering the market introduction of SAE Level 3+ vehicles, the topic of motion planning will most likely be subject to even more detailed discussions between safety and user acceptance. This paper shall discuss parameters of the motion planning problem and requirements to an environment model. The focus is put on the representation of different types of uncertainty at the example of sensor occlusion, arguing the importance of a well-defined interface between decision making and trajectory generation.

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Incorporating Ethical Considerations Into Automated Vehicle Control

Cited by 83 publications

References 25 publications

Autonomous Driving Ethics: from Trolley Problem to Ethics of Risk

Autonomous Driving Ethics: from Trolley Problem to Ethics of Risk

Implementations in Machine Ethics

Representing the Unknown – Impact of Uncertainty on the Interaction between Decision Making and Trajectory Generation

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