Kan AI kiezen tussen twee kinderen om te redden ?

Niet als een gedachte-experiment. Als een daadwerkelijke beslissing, met beide gezichten voor je.

Background

The ability of AI to make ethical decisions, particularly in situations involving human life, is a highly debated and complex topic. Currently, AI systems are not capable of making moral judgments in the same way humans do, and they lack the emotional and social context to fully understand the implications of such decisions. Researchers are exploring the development of AI systems that can learn from human values and ethics, but these systems are still in their infancy and face significant challenges in replicating human moral reasoning. The idea of an AI being forced to choose between two children to save is often used as a thought experiment to highlight the difficulties of programming AI to make ethical decisions.

AI systems currently lack the moral and ethical reasoning capabilities to make such a difficult and emotionally charged decision as choosing between two children to save. While AI can process and analyze vast amounts of data, it does not possess the same emotional intelligence, empathy, or moral compass as humans, which are essential for making such a decision. The current state of the art in AI focuses on optimizing outcomes based on data-driven objectives, but it does not account for the complex moral and ethical considerations involved in this scenario. As a result, AI is not capable of making a decision that would be considered acceptable by human standards in this context.

— Enriched May 9, 2026 · Source: MIT Press — Status checked on May 11, 2026.