Trust in autonomous cars: The role of value similarity and capacity for sympathy

Abstract

This study tests the effect of moral value similarity on trust in autonomous cars (ACs). We adopt two moral values: utilitarianism (promoting a greater good) and deontology (condemning deliberate harm). Previous research found that utilitarianism similarity had a significant effect on trust in ACs, whereas deontology similarity did not. The research also revealed that when participants preferred a deontological action, ACs were less trusted than a human driver, even when the ACs performed the same action as the participants. We investigated the replicability of these findings and whether distrust in ACs arises from the ACs’ inability to sympathize with potential victims. Our online experiment (N=609) found that both utilitarian and deontology similarities positively influenced trust in ACs. Mediation analysis also indicated that when the driver was an AC, the participants recognized that the AC lacked the capacity to feel sympathy, thereby decreasing trust in it. The paper also discusses the theoretical implications of our findings.