Dec 16, 2020
ZURICH/LUGANO, Switzerland – Our geological epoch, the Anthropocene, in which mankind is shaping the fate of the planet, is characterized by existential threats. Some are addressed in action plans such as the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals. But we seem to be caught between knowing that we should change our behavior and our entrenched habits.
In an overpopulated world, many have asked, “What is the value of human life?” The COVID-19 pandemic has raised this issue once more, framing the question in stark terms: Who should die first if there are not enough resources to save everyone?
Many science-fiction novels, such as Frank Schatzing’s “The Tyranny of the Butterfly,” deal with similar concerns, often “solving” the sustainable-development problem in cruel ways that echo some of the darkest chapters in human history. And reality is not far behind. It is tempting to think we can rely on artificial intelligence to help us navigate such dile
an accident film from a car a clipped with emergency brake assist. the sequence of events can be assessed in slow motion. the read be hit go ahead overlooks the upcoming traffic jam the brake lights appear but the distance sensor in this car registers to jam brakes and prevents a further collision. but which principles should guide decisions made by technology in an accident situation. in recent years mit s media lab has been addressing the ethical questions raised by artificial intelligence. what moral compass should future smart devices refer to. is one of the world s leading experts on such issues he and his team developed a survey called the moral machine to explore ethics for programming autonomous vehicles like in the event of an accident. most of the time