Our 2020 annual review considers an unusual year, but one in which we have accomplished much of what we planned and achieved additional successes along the way.

New AAIP guidance presents a methodology for the Assurance of Machine Learning for use in Autonomous Systems (AMLAS).

Ahead of the launch of our Year in Review 2020, we’ve taken a look back at a somewhat unexpected year and some of the key activities and achievements along the way.

Submissions are invited for this special issue on the topic of AI auditing, assurance, and certification.

Is it appropriate for autonomous vehicles to be able to detect and make decisions based on characteristics protected by anti-discrimination legislation?

The FAA recently set out steps for the return of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft to commercial service. Professor John McDermid looks at what went wrong and the fixes that have been put in place.

An AI Command Centre, thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, is to be the focus of a study to understand how it will impact the quality, safety and organisation of healthcare at the Bradford hospital it is part of.

AAIP is delighted to endorse the new guidelines to improve the guidelines for clinical trial protocols and clinical trial reports

A project that will improve the ability of autonomous systems to reason about the impact of their decisions and actions on technical and social requirements and rules has been awarded over £3M from the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) programme.

40th edition of SAFECOMP to be held at the University of York with a special theme of Safe human-robotic and autonomous system (RAS) interaction

The new paper examines the modelling assumptions that have been informing the COVID-19 policy-making processes and to what extent these assumptions and their limitations are communicated to decision-makers.

Elon Musk thinks his company Tesla will have fully autonomous cars ready by the end of 2020. Challenges remain - Professor John McDermid gives us five of the key obstacles.

Do you want to play a pivotal role in ensuring autonomous systems are introduced and adopted safely across the world?

New report provides single point of reference on the safety, regulatory and liability issues for operating inspection robots in the EU

An enhanced vehicle control model for highly automated driving safety by Helen Monkhouse, Ibrahim Habli, and John McDermid

New AAIP report presents framework for assuring the safety of highly automated driving systems

15th International Symposium on Software Engineering for Adaptive and Self-Managing Systems (SEAMS 2020) is now a virtual conference, taking place June 29th – July 3rd 2020.

Do you want to play a pivotal role in ensuring autonomous systems are introduced in an ethically-informed way?

Today we are rolling out the first practical guidance that is freely accessible through the online AAIP Body of Knowledge to support the safe development of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS).

Every day across the world people depend upon complex systems for their everyday lives: healthcare, transportation, and the built environment they live and work in. These systems are evolving rapidly through developments in technology. But such progress can run ahead of the necessary changes to the structures and governance around the systems themselves that will ensure their safety.

AI-based tools in health care are challenging the standard clinical practices of assigning blame and assuring patient safety. This paper considers the possibility of patient harm caused by the decisions of an AI-based clinical tool, focusing on two aspects: moral accountability; and safety assurance.

The UK-RAS Network has announced five new strategic task groups to lead activities on key areas of interest to the Network. AAIP is delighted to be part of the Skills and Education in Robotics and Autonomous Systems group.

Professor John McDermid and Dr Ana MacIntosh talk to journalist Philippa Geering about the safety of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems

Collaboration is key to the success of the Programme and we have worked across the globe to join forces where needed. A real triumph of our partnerships is their multi-disciplinary nature: the safe introduction and adoption of robotics and autonomous systems is a complicated issue and we must work across disciplines to solve it.

Submit papers outlining the safety and fairness implications (from a legal, ethical, psychological, or technical point of view) of the use of machine learning in real-world systems.

Join the AAIP team - we have two new Research Associate roles available. The deadline for applications is 8 March 2020.

Last month the Assuring Autonomy International Programme (AAIP) became the newest member of the Australian Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAAiH).

New AAIP research paper exploring the perspectives of an ethicist, doctor, lawyer, engineer and two safety academics, after they met and talked about autonomy, artificial intelligence and safety.

We are delighted to announce that Dr Radu Calinescu has been awarded funding from ORCA for a new verification and assurance project

AAIP's Dr Radu Calinescu is a Program Co-Chair and Dr Simos Gerasimou is a publicity co-chair for the 15th International Symposium on Software Engineering for Adaptive and Self-Managing Systems (SEAMS 2020). The Call for Papers is now out - the abstract deadline submission date is 10 January 2020.

Dr Radu Calinescu is a guest editor on upcoming special edition

Ana MacIntosh to present at Lloyd's Register Foundation's international safety conference in October

Nikita Johnson received the International System Safety Society's George Peters Award at their recent conference

Dr Richard Hawkins and Professor John McDermid have written a briefing paper for the Institute of Manufacturing on assuring the safety of autonomy in manufacturing

Dr Radu Calinescu is guest editor on a special issue on software engineering for trustworthy cyber-physical systems

The University of York is to establish a £35m flagship research facility to address global challenges in assuring the safety of robotics and other systems that use artificial intelligence. The York Global Initiative for Safe Autonomy will be based on Campus East and will house specialist laboratories and testing facilities – bringing together industrial partners and world-leading experts in the field.

The Assuring Autonomy International Programme at the University of York has announced a funding call for up to ten projects researching real-world safety of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS). The Programme is a £12 million partnership between Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the University of York and is advancing the safety of RAS across the globe.

Short talks and posters invited for this first workshop on assuring the safety of physically assistive robots

The current unprecedented interest in machine learning is fuelled by a vision of its applicability extending to healthcare, transportation, defence and other domains of great societal importance. Achieving this vision requires the use of machine learning in safety-critical applications that demand levels of assurance beyond those needed for current applications.

The Assuring Autonomy International Programme, a partnership between international charity Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the University of York, is investing more than £1.2 million into research that will advance the safety assurance of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS), while building public trust in such technology.

Given the recent rapid advances of robotics and artificial intelligence, this paper addresses the associated ethical issues.

The Law Commission's announcement today that they could begin work to establish a safety assurance scheme to facilitate the deployment of highly automated driving systems is a welcome next step towards the safe introduction of autonomous vehicles.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has confirmed the appointment of Professor John McDermid as a non-executive director on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board.

Congratulations to Assuring Autonomy International Programme Research Associate Colin on this award

Join us for a World of Wonder at this year's York Festival of Ideas.

AAIP is looking for applicants from industry, academia and regulatory organisations for our visiting fellowships.

Congratulations to AAIP Research Associate Nikita on her recent award

Find out more about what we accomplished in 2018 and where we're heading now: read our 2018 annual review.

The 2019 NHS Digital Health Safety Conference at the University of York: a beautiful city, 100 great minds and a whole day dedicated to discussing the safe introduction of new AI-based digital health technologies.

Guardian angel or big brother? Professor John McDermid gives us five things to consider before speed limiters are added to cars in an article in The Conversation

The Assuring Autonomy International Programme was part of a debate organised by White Rose Brussels about how we address the challenges of increasing human-robot interaction in many areas of society.

Can we expect autonomous vehicles to be moral agents? Decisively no, says Professor John McDermid in this article for The Conversation

Professor John McDermid's article on assuring the safety of smart city initiatives for a New Statesman Spotlight on Transport

Up to £500,000 awards are available for research into assuring the safety of robotics and autonomous systems

Major industrial and academic organisations gather in York to launch new programme in robotics and autonomous systems.

Professor John McDermid, Director of the Assuring Autonomy International Programme, responds to the deal.