The legal challenges of autonomous vehicles or how to reconcile AI and fundamental rights
A conference on adapting legislation to autonomous vehicles allowed two lawyers to put forward their arguments in favor of a human-centered approach to artificial intelligence.
The Love Bug, film by Robert Stevenson, 1968. Image: DR
Traffic rules and the training to which drivers must submit are relatively effective in channeling the chaos caused by the overabundance of vehicles, particularly in urban areas. This regulatory arsenal has difficulty reducing the multiple clashes and accidents, sometimes fatal, as evidenced by police statistics.
The advent of autonomous vehicles and automobile flows controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) promises to drastically reduce these hazards, most of which are of human origin. The most optimistic go so far as to predict a 90% reduction in this type of incident. This future under the control of technology, however, raises important ethical and legal questions. What will happen to liability in the event of an accident, for the remaining 10%? How will the AI react to unforeseen obstacles, such as children appearing on the road chasing a ball?
