Project Director

Campbell, Curtis

Department Examiner

Xie, Mengjun

Department

Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Autonomous driving incorporates applications and algorithms of AI to enable self-driving vehicles as viable transportation options across the country. Self-driving vehicles may provide advantages over human-driven vehicles in several ways, including cost savings, accessibility to transportation, efficiency, convenience, and reduced traffic. However, there are still challenges due to the added lack of cybersecurity issues, laws, and ethical factors to consider in gaining public trust. Ethical issues such as choosing how to respond to accidents and algorithms for safety decisions are factors in the progression of autonomous vehicles for many companies. Since a gap exists in research and development for ethical and other issues, the purpose of the study is to explore the challenges and problems related to safety and reliability, regulatory and legal issues, technological changes and ethical challenges, scalability, public perception and acceptance, and data security and privacy concerns. The scope of this paper is largely focused on the technical and ethical concerns related to the creation and usage of autonomous cars. This study intends to uncover the gaps in legislation, public opinion, and industry readiness through a data-driven survey of UTC students, case studies, and an examination of recent literature and provide solutions based on this research.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Curtis Campbell for her encouragement throughout my thesis journey. She has supported me for over a year in this process and created a space that allowed me to be innovative through my research and data collection. I am so appreciative of Dr. Campbell's motivation and support, which has allowed me to further my academic and scientific endeavors. I want to give a special shoutout to my classmates who have helped me with the data survey, Dr. Mengjun Xie, who served on my committee, and my friends and family who have supported me throughout my entire journey. Without my community, this would not have been possible.

IRB Number

24-131

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2025

Subject

Artificial intelligence--Moral and ethical aspects; Automated vehicles--Law and legislation

Keyword

Algorithms, AI regulation, Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Driving, Autonomous Vehicles, Cybersecurity, Deontological, Ethical Programming, Ethical Theories, Ethics, Self-driving, Utilitarian

Document Type

Theses

Extent

ii, 79 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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