MaddieWaters
This past summer, the senior class explored the moral complexities of artificial intelligence (AI) through their summer read “Culpability” by Bruce Holsinger. Over the course of 352 pages, Holsinger dives into the ethical ramifications that come with an increasingly AI-dependent world.

The novel centers around the fictional Cassidy-Shaw family, who travel to a lacrosse tournament in a self-driving minivan powered by AI algorithms when they get into a devastating car accident, killing the two senior citizens in the other vehicle.

Suddenly, the Cassidy-Shaw family is forced to navigate the legal, physical and emotional impacts that come from being in a fatal car accident. Every member of the family is at fault to some degree for the accident, making matters even more complex.

What separates this accident from other car accidents, however, was the role that AI played in this fatal crash. Was the algorithm in charge of controlling the van at fault for the death of two people, or was it the driver’s fault for choosing to swerve and not allowing the algorithm to protect the car?

It is situations like this that raise questions about the benefits and consequences of the integration of AI into ordinary life. Although he never truly answers the question of who is actually culpable for the accident, Holsinger uses this novel to encourage readers to think about their own moral responsibility in an artificially intelligent world.

Senior Caroline Schwab spent much of her summer in a self-driving car on her way to and from Lincoln for an internship. Schwab said that reading “Culpability” made her “a lot more conscious of [her] choices behind the wheel, especially due to the similarities between [her] situation and the novel.” She said that the novel made her reflect on her own AI usage and helped her consider a more ethical usage of her self-driving car, recognizing the risks that come with such a deep integration of AI into everyday life.

On Aug. 26, the senior class had the opportunity to connect with Holsinger via Zoom and asked him several questions about the novel’s backstory, how the novel came to be and more. Holsinger shared how his own personal experiences influenced his authorial choices and how he has now become prominent in both the author and AI worlds.

Ultimately, Holsinger’s novel urged the senior class to discern their own moral stance on AI and how their own AI usage can have broader implications, though not as great as costing the lives of two people in a fatal car accident.

As the world grows more dependent on AI, Holsinger warns against the complex moral consequences, saying, “when it comes to the workings of AI in the real world, the ethicist herself cannot escape the prison house of culpability.”