Here's a real-life ethical AI dilemma playing out right now.  Tesla's
latest software release (V10) includes a "smart summon" mode that allows
you to summon the car to you using your cellphone.  This could be useful
if it's raining outside or you have a lot of bags you don't want to haul
across the parking lot.  You're only supposed to use it while you have
the car in sight, and it stops the moment you take your finger off the
button in the app.

So is it ethical for Tesla to invite people to test out their software
in the real world where innocent people could be harmed?  Or are the
nay-sayers just silly techno-phobes?  The results from the first week of
testing are pretty scary.  There are photos and videos of Teslas driving
up on curbs, going the wrong way down a one-way lane of a crowded
parking lot, and in one case, nearly causing an accident by pulling out
in front of an oncoming car.  There are also photos of damaged Teslas
that hit things while being summoned, such as the owner's garage.

I've long said that the hardest part of building a self-driving car
isn't doing 70 mph in highway traffic, it's negotiating the Walmart
parking lot.  Well, someone did try out summon mode in a Walmart parking
lot, and it didn't go well.

Here's a web page with a nice summary of the scary Tesla summon stories
to date, along with a bunch of videos:
  https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/frightening-videos-surface-teslas-smart-summon-feature

The Today Show has a nice collection of Tesla summon fails as well:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o2sI37xwOc

And here's a video where a guy takes you in detail through the app and
the car's puzzling behavior, with some good analysis, and some scary
moments where he gets his cousin to step in front of a moving car:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enkRALcdPb0

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

Is Tesla wrong for unleashing this half-baked technology (still just in
"beta" release) for people to play with in public spaces?  It will be
interesting to see how insurance claims are handled, and whether owners
can be found negligent for playing dangerously with their expensive
toys.

-- Dave