The Ethics of Driverless, AI Cars

I love these futuristic morality problems.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/11/27/1846209/how-do-we-program-moral-machines

The statement most nasty is the "'Within two or three decades the difference between automated driving and human driving will be so great you may not be legally allowed to drive your own car, and even if you are allowed, it would immoral of you to drive, because the risk of you hurting yourself or another person will be far greater than if you allowed a machine to do the work. "

What's wrong with it you say? Driving is equivalent to right to travel. The government would be banning your right to travel on the road if you did not let your AI friend do the driving. 

Long Answer:

People use the roads, in particular, the highways/freeways because while they could decide to fly, they accept the risks associated travel on the road. This also makes people responsible for managing this risk to their lives and property. There is nothing immoral about this.

But now, some people think we shouldn't be taking this risk and responsibility - they will let somebody be responsible for their own lives and property on the road. They want to let the government, car manufacturer and AI take the responsibility. And they want to force everybody else into this deal, by legislating and enforcing laws that restrict the kind of car you're allowed to ride in and who gets to drive it. Now, this use of force IS immoral. As is putting the control of an automobile in the hands of a government mandate, or taking responsibility from where it is rightfully due.

On the other hand, if machines were really that awesome, most weary commuters would simply decide to let their AI do the driving. But that would be personal choice. And you should still bear the responsibility to whatever happens, as if you were driving. 

In conclusion, this question is almost identical to the charge that "if you are eating fatty foods that cause heart disease, you are creating a burden on society and the healthcare system." Yes, but only if you had a universal healthcare program that forces other people to pay for your illnesses.(And then, you should be finger-pointing at the government, that taxed and forced you to pay for that patient) Not when you have healthcare choices.