Ethical software up for grabs

Does your car swerve off the bridge or plough through the nearby crowd?  In case of an impending accident, which ethical standards will govern your driverless car?  (Which govern you?)  “And over here, at a price discount, is the Peter Singer Utilitarian Model.  The Roark costs $800 more.”

Or perhaps it will be put up to a vote, or handed over to OIRA.  California can run a referendum.  Alex earlier called this the Google Trolley problem, after the famous philosophical conundrum.

Joshua adds in the comments: “Can’t we just give the robot cars like three general guidelines and let them figure out the details on their own?”

For the pointer I thank Gordon H.