The responsibility of mankind regarding driverless cars

„The real problem is not whether machines think but whether man do“ - Skinner

The future is uncertain - that phrase is stuck in our heads since we were born. But it’s also true that our present creates the future. At this point of transition from the industrial era into the technological one we can agree on one thing: The future belongs practically to the machines and technology. What role will be played by the humans? Is there even a main role for us or will we be just the ones who will pass the responsibility to the robots and machines and leave our protagonism behind?

Since humans created the robots and machines, it is clear to see that they need to have a huge responsibility according to those new ways of working with technology. Everything that is created needs to be controlled appropriately to make sure disasters won’t happen and everything works in a gentle and good way. As an example we can see the evolution of driverless cars which is not only being seen in China but also in Las Vegas. There are a lot of advantages that the new idea brings with in, such as extra time for humans to sleep but also work and rest, reduced accidents and of course less health problems such fatigue. But the whole thing has also a dark side: accidents still may happen, which leads to the question: Whose fault should it be? The manufactures fault or the car owners one? The invention would also eliminate some jobs such as truck and taxi drivers, that would mean a difficult time for those at least at the beginning. It is not pretty cheap at all, it’s an expensive obsolete which needs to be taken care of.

Problems means responsibility. As Skinner said in the early 20th century: „The real problem is not whether machines think but whether man do“. How are we going to face these new obstacles? What kind of new jobs are going to be at the top? What kind of solutions will be needed to help us through the period of transition and adaptability? Time will tell us more about it. But it is never too bad to be mentally prepared and focus on developing an attitude that cannot be replaced by machines, a way of lifestyle that is sustainable and a way of working that is creative and everything but monotonous, something truly significant to contribute to our new world.