Decisions made by a self-driven car to kill someone to save someone is subject to debate in recent times. Not only this, AI also faces backlashed to show or hide certain content to its users considering the utility of the information without causing any moral impacts. There is a known social ethical problem which is called Trolley problem and is used as a learning ground for such issues. So, what is the Trolley Problem?
The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics and psychology, involving stylized ethical dilemmas of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number. Recently, a lot of debate was made on the moral values of the AI Based platform. The problem is often posed as follows:
You are standing next to a lever. On the track ahead, five people are tied up and unable to move. A runaway trolley is headed towards them. You can pull the lever, which will divert the trolley onto a side track. However, there is one person on the side track. You have two options:
1. Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track.
2. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person.
The trolley problem is a classic example of a moral dilemma, because there is no easy answer. On the one hand, pulling the lever would save the lives of five people, but it would also kill one person. On the other hand, doing nothing would allow five people to die.
There is no right or wrong answer to the trolley problem, and people’s responses to it vary widely. Some people believe that it is always wrong to kill, even if it means saving more lives. Others believe that it is permissible to kill one person to save five people. Still others believe that the answer depends on the specific circumstances of the situation.
The trolley problem has been used to explore a variety of ethical issues, including the ethics of killing, the ethics of utilitarianism, and the ethics of active vs. passive euthanasia. It is a thought-provoking dilemma that has no easy answer, but it can help us to think more deeply about our own moral beliefs.
Some variations of the trolley problem make it more complex than it already is.
- The fat man variant: In this variation, there is a fat man standing next to you. You could push him onto the track in front of the trolley, which would stop the trolley and save the five people. However, this would also kill the fat man.
- The bystander variant: In this variation, you are not the only person who can pull the lever. There are other people who could also pull the lever, but they are not doing anything. Do you have a moral obligation to pull the lever yourself?
- The repeat variant: In this variation, the trolley problem is repeated over and over again. Each time, you have the same choice to make: do nothing or pull the lever. What do you do?
The trolley problem can teach us a lot about our own moral beliefs and how we make decisions in difficult situations. Here are some of the things we can learn from the trolley problem:
- We all have different moral intuitions. The trolley problem is a good example of how people have different moral intuitions. Some people believe that it is always wrong to kill, even if it means saving more lives. Others believe that it is permissible to kill one person to save five people. There is no right or wrong answer, and it is important to respect the different moral beliefs of others.
- We all have to make difficult decisions. The trolley problem is a good example of how we all have to make difficult decisions. There is no easy answer, and we have to weigh the different options and consequences. It is important to think carefully about our decisions and to be prepared to live with the consequences.
- Our decisions are influenced by our emotions. The trolley problem is a good example of how our emotions can influence our decisions. When we are faced with a difficult decision, our emotions can cloud our judgment. It is important to try to stay calm and rational when making decisions, but it is also important to acknowledge our emotions and how they are affecting our choices.
- There is no one right answer. The trolley problem is a good example of how there is no one right answer to ethical dilemmas. Every situation is different, and we have to make the best decision we can with the information we have. It is important to be open to different perspectives and to be willing to change our minds when presented with new information.
Uses of The Trolley Problem within Artificial Intelligence Domain
The trolley problem is also related to artificial intelligence (AI) because it raises questions about how AI should make decisions in difficult situations. For example, if an AI-powered self-driving car is faced with a trolley problem, should it swerve to avoid hitting a pedestrian, even if it means crashing into a group of people?
There is no easy answer to this question, and it is one that philosophers, ethicists, and engineers are still debating. However, the trolley problem can help us to think about the ethical challenges of AI and to develop guidelines for how AI should make decisions in difficult situations.
Here are some of the ways that the trolley problem is related to artificial intelligence:
- AI systems may be faced with trolley problems. As AI systems become more sophisticated, they may be faced with situations that are similar to the trolley problem. For example, an AI-powered self-driving car may be faced with a decision to swerve to avoid hitting a pedestrian, even if it means crashing into a group of people.
- AI systems need to be programmed with ethical principles. In order to make ethical decisions in difficult situations, AI systems need to be programmed with ethical principles. These principles could be based on utilitarianism, deontology, or other ethical theories.
- AI systems need to be transparent. It is important for AI systems to be transparent about how they make decisions. This means that they should be able to explain their reasoning in a way that humans can understand.
- AI systems need to be accountable. AI systems need to be accountable for their actions. This means that there should be a way to hold them responsible for the decisions they make.
The trolley problem is a complex and challenging thought experiment, but it can help us to think more deeply about our own moral beliefs. There is no easy answer to the trolley problem, but it is a question that we should all consider.
