Social Impacts

Drone Package Delivery

Social Hazards:

• Loss of delivery jobs if the drones are significantly more efficient compared to human drivers.

• The drone cannot be too loud as it would cause noise pollution in the areas it traverses.

• Certain people may feel as though they are being surveilled by the delivery drones due to superstitions or other reasons.

• Drones will need to have a sense of self preservation, which could prove dangerous depending on what they prioritize and in what situations (the classic self driving car question of who to hit if a collision is avoidable).

Solutions:

• Delivery driver jobs may be lost, but additional jobs for maintaining and programming the drones at a shipping warehouse will be created. There will also be jobs in recovering lost drones.

• Part of the building design of the drone will be to ensure that it does not make too much noise.

• Drones will be clearly marked to indicate that they are for the purpose of delivery and not surveillance.

• The most ethical thing possible would be to give the drones a minimal amount of self preservation and rely on their efficiency / manual recovery outweighing any potential losses.