When Robots Are Paralyzed By Choice first appeared on Floating Path
Roboticist Alan Winfield of Bristol Robotics Laboratory in the UK conducted an ethical test on a robot. He wanted to see how a machine would react when confronted with the impossible decision of who to save when more than one person is headed for danger.
Winfield found that in some cases the robots made the worst choice of all: It became paralyzed by its conflicting options and saved no one.
This type of research will become especially more applicable with the growth of self-driving cars. When danger arises, these machines will also have to make the choice of whose life to save.
