Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles: Australians’ Expectations and Moral Preferences

Amir Rafiee

2025

Abstract

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) can handle most driving scenarios, but ensuring safety in every situation remains a challenge. Factors such as technology failures, faulty sensors, and adverse weather introduce complex ethical dilemmas that AVs must navigate. Considering the societal benefits of AVs, it is crucial to address both technical challenges and ethical expectations. This paper evaluates Australians’ perceptions and expectations regarding the ethical programming of personal AVs in six dilemma scenarios using a structured questionnaire. The participants selected the most acceptable outcome in each scenario, informed by ethical and legal considerations. The survey offers a framework for understanding public moral preferences by excluding discriminatory factors and considering legal contexts. The findings prioritise Australians’ preferences for ethical AV behaviour, focusing on Injury Over Sacrifice (IOS), Harm Confinement and Lawfulness (HCL), and Harm Prevention and Prioritisation (HPP). These insights can guide policymakers and manufacturers in aligning AV programming with societal values. The study also highlights how ethical models like the Objective Decision System (ODS), which selects outcomes randomly when no clear moral preference emerges, can balance public trust and responsibility in AVs.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Rafiee A. (2025). Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles: Australians’ Expectations and Moral Preferences. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART; ISBN 978-989-758-737-5, SciTePress, pages 287-297. DOI: 10.5220/0013123900003890

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icaart25,
author={Amir Rafiee},
title={Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles: Australians’ Expectations and Moral Preferences},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART},
year={2025},
pages={287-297},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013123900003890},
isbn={978-989-758-737-5},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART
TI - Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles: Australians’ Expectations and Moral Preferences
SN - 978-989-758-737-5
AU - Rafiee A.
PY - 2025
SP - 287
EP - 297
DO - 10.5220/0013123900003890
PB - SciTePress