Auto-Correct by Maya Indira Ganesh explores the language and materiality around ‘autonomy,’ as well as the cultural impact of epistemic tools such as the 'Trolley Problem' and 'Moral Machine'. The Trolley Problem is a well-known thought experiment that has come to symbolise the ‘ethics of autonomous driving’, a powerful narrative that gained traction alongside the excitement surrounding driverless cars.
While the problem is still used in classrooms to highlight the contrasts between utilitarian and deontological ethical frameworks in analytic philosophy, it has also influenced our expectations of AI-driven technologies. It suggests that ethical decision-making can be automated and data-driven, rather than remaining a human, social, or individualised practice.
Epistemic tools shape how safety and automobility are framed as challenges for the driverless car to solve. Blending critical studies of technology, culture, and society, Auto-Correct examines how driverless cars are reshaping forms of governance, responsibility and values.
It looks at the cultural ontologies of the driverless car, as an AI/robot imaginary, a big data infrastructure, and a conventional twentieth-century automobile. Auto-Correct ultimately argues for broader understanding of ethics and values—not just as outputs of AI systems but as essential components of our present and future social and technological landscapes.
Artez Press, 224pp, 15 cmx 21cm, illustrated paperback, 2024
