Committed to connecting the world

WTISD

"The Molly Problem"

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​"The Molly Problem" at a glance​​​

​​​

"The Molly Problem" has been conceptualized as an alternate thought expression to the "trolley problem​" in the context of autonomous vehicles.

"The Molly Problem" tackles the ethical challenge faced by companies in terms of their autonomou​s vehicle (AV) systems not being able to assure the elimination of all accidents.

​​To address this, "The Molly Problem" presents a single scenario and raises critical questions on public expectation in the AD software behaviour in the event of a collision.
​​​​

​​​​​​ A young girl called Molly is crossing the road alone and is hit by an unoccupied self-driving vehicle. There are no eye-witnesses​. What should happen next?​


​ ​

​​​Decide future course of action!​​​​​

To chart the future path for autonomous vehicles in this ethical debate, "The Molly Problem" survey has been developed. 

See the preliminary results of the survey (PRELIMINARY RESULTS​) new

The findings from this survey will support and facilitate the identification of requirements for the data and metrics to help shape global regulatory frameworks and safety standards for self-driving software, ensuring that they are designed to meet public expectations.

You may contribute to this global dialogue by taking the survey here!

Two ​webinars were organized in collaboration with the AI for Good Global Summit to elaborate on the Molly problem and possible policy/legal implications. Please find their webpages and recorded sessions below:​
​​​

​"The Molly Problem" evolved from the discussions of the ITU-T Focus Group on AI for Autonomous and Assisted Driving (FG-AI4AD)​ as initiated by ADA Innovation Lab Limited and Technical University of Munich.

See the ​ITU News​ on The Molly Problem story "Self-driving cars: Can AI make the 'right' decisions on the road?"​