Real-World Trolley Problems

The trolley problem seemed academic until technology made it literal. Self-driving cars face genuine trolley-type decisions: when a crash is unavoidable, should the algorithm minimize total casualties even if it means harming the car's passenger?

Surveys reveal sharp cultural differences. In some countries people prefer algorithms that protect passengers; in others they prefer utilitarian programming. Almost nobody wants to buy a car programmed to sacrifice them. The gap between what we endorse in theory and accept in practice is exactly what the trolley problem predicted.