Elaine Herzberg was a pedestrian whose tragic death in 2018 marked the first fatality involving a fully autonomous vehicle. She was struck by a self-driving Uber in Tempe, Arizona, when the vehicle’s AI system failed to classify her correctly. The system oscillated between identifying her as a vehicle, “other,” or a bicycle, failing to respond in time to prevent the collision. Herzberg’s death brought global attention to the vulnerabilities of autonomous systems and the ethical challenges surrounding their deployment.
Summary
Elaine Herzberg was a pedestrian whose tragic death in 2018 marked the first fatality involving a fully autonomous vehicle. She was struck by a self-driving Uber in Tempe, Arizona, when the vehicle’s AI system failed to classify her correctly. The system oscillated between identifying her as a vehicle, “other,” or a bicycle, failing to respond in time to prevent the collision. Herzberg’s death brought global attention to the vulnerabilities of autonomous systems and the ethical challenges surrounding their deployment.