- Even if the self-driving cars seem more human, the human beings are still liable (Nexus Media).

The UK launches the first autonomous cars legislation

After the first death caused by an autonomous cars, the UK decided to apply the first effective AI liability to the carmakers and not the drivers.

The AIs are invading the motoring world. The carmakers prepare the next step of the automotive revolution with several unexpected autonomous concept cars. The Paris Motor Show will have some surprises about the AI equipments. If the carmakers are inventing the future of the motoring, our gouvernments start to debate on the legal responsabilities on the automotive AIs.

An old advertisement from 1956 was promoting the autonomous cars on the roads (engineering.com).

An old advertisement from 1956 was promoting the autonomous cars on the roads (engineering.com).

Integrating the AI as a legal entity is excluded instead of the potential capabilities the researchers find inventing new technologies. The internet network grew very quickly for 20 years. How could we have imagined some AIs replace us as drivers within the next 20 years? As you know certainly the technology seems to be advanced rather than our governments. In spite of some authorizations on some roads and highways, there is no real legislation on the AI liability until now.

The AI liability means the carmakers liability.

Baidu's autonomous cars fleet should invade the Chinese roads (South China Morning Post).

Baidu's autonomous cars fleet should invade the Chinese roads (South China Morning Post).

According to the British Government, the AIs shouldn't be distinguished from their human creators. We live in a world where we depend on the connected technologies giving them more and more human aspects. Based on the Health and Safety Act, the AIs liability couldn't be considered as an independant entity. Our future autonomous cars cannot be considered as human beings. They don't think themselves despite of the improvements of the automation in the motoring and the IT systems.

Being pragmatic on a complex question appears as the better solution for Neal Brown, Director of a legal technology firm. He explains his logical point of view by giving us the key to understand the AIs saying : "There is nothing magical about AI or machine learning, and someone building or deploying it needs to comply with the relevant regulatory framework". The essential thing to understand is still to know what are the aims of AIs for our cars. Behind them, there are still human hands to invent and create them.

Strict sanctions to the carmakers and AI's creators.

The Volvo 360c would be equipped with an advanced technology based on the light and the ultrasounds signals (Volvo).

The Volvo 360c would be equipped with an advanced technology based on the light and the ultrasounds signals (Volvo).

How to stop the foolish growing of the AIs, which looks like a new way to discover new functionalities. The current presentation of the BMW Vision iNext and the Volvo 360c concepts cars show how the new technologies are inspired by the human perceptions in nature. On the other hand, the vehicles are becoming new social places modifying our habits. Our cars are our new homes and offices while we give them "human" functions to interact with the other drivers, the pedestrians or the cyclists.

To avoid potential excesses from the carmakers who would pretend the AIs are independant entities, the British Government decided to punish them by applying the Health and Safety Act. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) could improve the AI liability with the help of specialists and engineers. As the current legislation mentions, the fines could be unlimited for the stars-up which earn more £50 millions. Severe sanctions could be apply such as spending two years in prison and more if an autonomous car causes harms to the human drivers or users. The first death by an autonomous car on an American road in March pushed the governments to debate about the academic, ethical and legal AI's issues. The UK is one of the first European countries to find solutions by applying legal existing acts to the AI and the machines software learnings.

AIs* : Artificial Intelligences

Do you think the British AI liability legislation could be really efficient?

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Comments (11)

  • I’m guessing the percentage of deaths caused by autonomous cars will never outweigh deaths caused by humans.

      3 years ago
    • I think the AIs could be better than us detecting more things with a lot of cameras. We're still human beings with a limited capacity to drive without having many eyes to observe all the angles of the environment on the roads and in the streets....

      Read more
        3 years ago
  • These will only raise deaths.

      3 years ago
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