DP1

DecisionPoint
http://proethica.org/ontology/cases#DecisionPoint

DP1

How should Engineer A discharge his obligations as a member of the automobile manufacturer's risk assessment team when the crash-avoidance algorithm's harm-distribution logic raises unresolved ethical and safety questions — specifically, whether to actively express concerns and recommend further study before deployment, or to defer to the team's commercial orientation and provide a narrower assessment?

Engineer A's core obligation to actively participate in the risk assessment team, unambiguously express safety concerns about the harm-allocation algorithm, and recommend further study before deployment of the autonomous vehicle operating system

Actively participate in all risk assessment team deliberations, formally document and unambiguously express concerns about the harm-allocation algorithm's third-party safety implications in writing, recommend that the manufacturer commission further interdisciplinary study — including ethical framework analysis and technical mitigation investigation — before deploying the operating system

Participate in the risk assessment team's technical evaluation, raise third-party harm concerns verbally during team deliberations, and provide a written recommendation that identifies the harm-minimization approach as preferable — without separately recommending that deployment be delayed for further study, on the ground that the team's collective judgment and the manufacturer's business timeline should govern the deployment decision once the technical recommendation has been delivered

Participate in the risk assessment team's evaluation, recommend harm minimization as the preferred algorithm design, and separately recommend that the manufacturer explore technical mitigation options — such as dynamic real-time crash evaluation systems — as a means of reducing the need for pre-committed harm-allocation logic, framing further study as a technical improvement opportunity rather than a deployment prerequisite

Engineer A — Autonomous Vehicle Risk Assessment Team Member