This provides an overview and analysis of the science fiction novel "Circuit Switcher" by Takahiro Anno, which explores the ethical implications of a near-future society in 2029 Japan dominated by Level 5 fully autonomous vehicles.
The narrative follows the chief engineer of the autonomous driving algorithm company, who is taken hostage, forcing the truth about a past accident and the algorithm's decisions to be revealed to the world via a live stream.
This extreme scenario redefines the classic "Trolley Problem," transforming it from a philosophical thought experiment into a practical matter of AI programming and implementation concerning who lives and who dies in unavoidable crashes. It emphasizes that while full automation offers significant benefits like fewer accidents and better efficiency, it also creates negative consequences, such as job losses and the ambiguity of responsibility when algorithms make life-and-death choices, urging readers to confront the unseen sacrifices made in the name of technological progress.
