"“The ethics are different for humans and machines,” says Patrick Lin, a philosophy professor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. “For example, a military robot doesn’t have to shoot back at an enemy because there’s no imperative for self-preservation. If auto manufacturers want to play in this field, they’re going to be responsible for everything that happens on autopilot. Programmers will have to anticipate every problem and code for it. But when you face a true ethical dilemma, there is no consensus on the correct answer.”
“The technology is going to beat the law,” says Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. “Typically, federal mandates for new technology arrive only after it dominates the market.” (See seat belts, air bags, backup cameras.) But Smith says the onus will be on automakers to convince not only regulators but also consumers that their systems are safe."