19 min

#154-Amazon Prime's "Upload," and my thoughts on their trolley paradox solution Autonomous Cars with Marc Hoag

    • Automotive

Amazon Prime recently launched a (ridiculous) new show called Upload. The first 15 minutes show a passable take on an AV future in which the lead character's AV is hacked and he crashes and dies and goes to (virtual) heaven. There's a subtle, implicit reference to the trolley paradox, and a suggested solution to simply "prioritize" your AV according to your preferences, e.g., to prioritize pedestrians over other cars. This is a rambling, stream of conscious discussion in which I try to unpack and destroy this admittedly clever but deeply troubling approach. 

Amazon Prime recently launched a (ridiculous) new show called Upload. The first 15 minutes show a passable take on an AV future in which the lead character's AV is hacked and he crashes and dies and goes to (virtual) heaven. There's a subtle, implicit reference to the trolley paradox, and a suggested solution to simply "prioritize" your AV according to your preferences, e.g., to prioritize pedestrians over other cars. This is a rambling, stream of conscious discussion in which I try to unpack and destroy this admittedly clever but deeply troubling approach. 

19 min