At this day in age technology is booming, and many companies are developing self-driving cars. Most people from only a few decades ago never would have thought self-driving cars would become a reality. I am very excited that such a futuristic idea will soon be introduced to the world, which is why I am interested to see the different issues they bring and how people will deal with them. There is one specific issue that is inevitable if self-driving cars become a reality, and it is on the way they are programmed. These cars are a lot safer than regular cars but will not always be able to avoid an accident. Imagine you are in your self-driving car, cruising down a local street. All of a sudden, a giant tree falls on to the road right in front of you, leaving you without enough time to brake. However, you could swerve onto the sidewalk where a group of pedestrians is. If you hit the tree, you will die, and if you go onto the sidewalk, the pedestrians will die. What should the self-driving car do in this situation? This is an issue of ethics and morals. It is difficult to predict how I would act if I were driving in a similar situation because I value my life, but I also would never want to harm others. I feel qualified to write about this topic because I know self-driving cars and other futuristic technology will be a big part of my life, and it is good to start thinking about it now, before they are introduced. 

The first article I found while researching my topic reveals different viewpoints from both opposing sides of the issue. Both arguments are important to the issue of how self-driving cars should be ethically programmed "because they could have a big impact on the way self-driving cars are accepted in society" (Metz). Metz writes that if people know their self-driving car might be programmed to kill them, less will buy them, leaving the roads full of unsafe human drivers. She also writes that if the cars are ethically utilitarian, the roads will be safer and have fewer deaths, which is one of the main reasons why companies are making self-driving cars. Rachel Metz is merited author, as she is the senior editor for MIT Technology Review, specialized in writing about new technology. She never takes a stance on the issue and simply states the opinions of the opposing sides. This is a valid source, and it is helpful to understand the full scope of the ethical issue of self-driving cars.

Similar to the first article, Patrick Lin writes about how society must determine a way self-driving cars are programmed in his article "The Ethics of Autonomous Cars." He also mentions how law may affect their programming. He questions if the cars can be programmed to break some laws like speeding. Additionally, he states that the car manufacturers should bear more of the blame if their vehicle gets into an accident. Lin raises the debate of ethics vs. law as well as what is ethical and what is not. Lin has a lot of experience and qualifications to write about this issue. He is a professor of philosophy at California Polytechnic State and the director of the Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group. This article helped me think about other issues self-driving cars bring up and how they play into effect of the ethics of self-driving cars.

Though it is very important to determine the way self-driving cars are ethically programmed to react in an unavoidable collision, it is also important that the final decision be enforced. Cory Doctorow writes about how people will try to hack their self-driving car's programming in the article "The problem with self-driving cars: who controls the code?" He argues that people will find ways to hack their cars, similar to how people "jail break" their iPhones. He poses a solution to this problem: Self-driving cars should be programmed to only allow software approved by the Ministry of Transport. He also goes on to mention the "trolley problem," a theoretical situation where one has to choose whom to save from an incoming trolley. Doctorow is a political activist and science fiction author, and he has written many articles about technology. It seems like he supports the utilitarian self-driving car, and he offers many different perspectives on self-driving cars and their issues. 

My research question is clearly arguable, as it has two conflicting views. It is a question ethics too, and people tend to have stronger or more opinionated views when it comes to ethical problems. All my sources agree that this is a problem we need to solve before self-driving cars debut. None of them show clear support for either side of the issue, but they reveal viewpoints of both opposing sides. The sources have allowed me to think more broadly about my issue, and they have showed me more that is taken into consideration when discussing the issue. My research question is strong as it is, and it is successful at identifying a controversial issue.

