IKERLAN is one of the eight key partners in the AutoTrust project consortium, an innovative initiative focused on developing dependable artificial intelligence (AI)-based functionalities for the complex field of cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM).

This project is supported by the Basque Government through the 2023 ELKARTEK call and continues the success of the Autoev@l and AutoLib projects. In collaboration with IKERLAN and under the coordination of Vicomtech, the consortium formed by CEIT, the University of the Basque Country (UPV), Automotive Intelligence Center (AIC), Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM), Tecnalia and Mondragon Unibertsitatea, offers disruptive technologies to companies in the mobility, rail transport, automotive and industrial sectors.

IKERLAN's main contribution to the project is adapting AI-based technologies for implementation in critical sectors, such as automotive, robotics, and railways, where reliability is crucial for safeguarding human lives.

The technology centre will work to define a lifecycle for the development of AI safety functions and establish mechanisms to integrate them safely. It also aims to define standards and automation mechanisms to verify and validate these systems through virtual environments. The advances will be evaluated in critical industrial demonstrators, such as robotic systems or railway applications.

“In the AutoTrust project, IKERLAN is focused on ensuring the safe operation of AI in the connected and automated mobility sector of the future. To do so, we are addressing the key challenges in the development of autonomous systems, following European strategies that prioritise reliability and transparency," explain Irune Agirre, head of the Trusted and Cybersafe Methodology team, and Peio Onaindia, project manager. "We are currently facing challenges in ensuring that AI is explainable to certifying bodies, especially since current regulations do not contemplate this. Additionally, we need to validate autonomous behaviour in various situations”.

IKERLAN is addressing to these challenges by aligning AutoTrust research with initiatives such as SAFEXPLAIN at European level, and thanks to its extensive experience in security and virtualisation. In addition, the centre has recently taken a step forward in the race to be able to certify systems that integrate AI, by evaluating with the certification body TÜV Rheinland the adaptation of the centre's lifecycle to develop secure systems.

At HIPEAC, Ikerlan has presented the progress made in Autotrust and SAFEXPLAIN to a group of experts. HIPEAC is a forum where researchers, academics, and industry professionals share their latest knowledge and discoveries.

The initiative is funded by the Basque Government's Elkartek programme and is in line with European strategies that prioritize reliability and transparency.