Digital Humanities ( Moral Machine )

This task is about Moral Machine and This task was assigned by Dilip Barad sir.

The Moral Machine: Exploring Ethics in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence has brought humanity to a fascinating moral crossroads. Among the most thought-provoking experiments in this domain is MIT’s Moral Machine, a platform that places users in the driver’s seat literally and ethically of an autonomous vehicle. I recently completed this interactive activity, and the results revealed not just my preferences, but also the intricate moral dimensions of technology-driven decision-making.

 My Experience with the Moral Machine

As I navigated through numerous ethical dilemmas, each scenario forced me to make choices that balanced human life, law, and circumstance. Sometimes, I had to decide between saving more lives versus saving specific individuals, or between protecting passengers versus pedestrians. Every decision felt like a small philosophical test—where empathy, logic, and social conditioning all competed for dominance.

According to my results (as shown in the Moral Machine report and visual output), my moral tendencies leaned towards:

Saving more lives: I valued outcomes where a greater number of people were spared, reflecting a utilitarian viewpoint.

Protecting passengers: I demonstrated strong protective instincts toward those inside the vehicle, possibly indicating trust in technological responsibility.

Upholding the law:My choices showed a consistent preference for law-abiding individuals, suggesting my belief in social order as a foundation of justice.

Interestingly, the data also showed nuanced biases such as saving more females and younger individuals, and prioritizing human lives over pets. These patterns reflect how subconscious societal values can subtly shape even our digital moral instincts.

 Reflections and Insights

The Moral Machine activity transformed abstract ethical theories into vivid, emotionally charged situations. It made me question: Can morality be programmed? If so, whose morality should define an AI’s actions the individual user, the society, or a universal ethical code?

I realized that moral decisions are rarely binary. While humans rely on emotion and intuition, machines demand logic and consistency. The challenge lies in encoding compassion without contradiction.

 Learning Outcomes

From this experiment, I learned that:

1. Ethics is subjective, yet technology demands objectivity.

2. Cultural and personal biases inevitably influence moral reasoning.

3. AI ethics requires interdisciplinary dialogue between programmers, philosophers, policymakers, and ordinary citizens.

The Moral Machine doesn’t just test our moral choices it mirrors the collective consciousness of humanity in a digital form. It challenges us to ask not only what should AI do, but what would we do, when faced with impossible decisions.

 Conclusion

My Moral Machine journey was more than an online activity—it was a mirror to my values, a test of empathy, and a glimpse into the moral architecture of future technology. It reminded me that as we design intelligent systems, we must ensure they reflect not only intelligence, but also integrity, fairness, and humanity.

Thank You !