Awarded for the AI research article of the decade

The award was presented by NORA for the paper “Formal Verification of Ethical Choices in Autonomous Systems”. The paper was written together with researchers from the University of Liverpool and published in 2016.

The award recognizes the authors' work in ensuring that autonomous systems make ethical decisions in line with human values.

- I am grateful for the award. It gives a real good feeling when one's work is highlighted in this way. Even fast-moving research fields, such as artificial intelligence, build on previous work. I would also like to emphasize that the article is the result of teamwork, says Slavkovik after the award, and points in the direction of the other authors of the article; Dennis, Fischer and Webster.

The recognition also garners praise from the rest of the university.

- The award shows that our academic communities are far ahead when it comes to research on artificial intelligence. It bodes well when we compete for the allocation of 4-6 national AI centers this year. Marija is central to one of the initiatives from UiB, and there are also other strong initiatives underway, says Dag Stenvoll, coordinator of UiB's focus on artificial intelligence, UiB AI.

About the paper

In this paper, the authors have examined a new approach to formal verification of ethical algorithms in autonomous systems, and present a theoretical framework for ethical plan selection that can be formally verified. The authors have developed a method that combines formal methods from computer science with ethical theory to ensure that autonomous systems act in accordance with predefined ethical guidelines.

The authors also explore the challenges of balancing autonomy and ethics. They argue that autonomous systems must be able to make quick decisions, but at the same time respect human values ​​and moral norms. By using formal verification, one can ensure that these systems are not only efficient, but also ethically responsible.

The authors' work has already had a major impact on the field, and the paper has been widely cited and discussed. The jury also cited the following as its justification: "For pioneering the formal verification of ethics in AI, an essential yet underexplored area. (…) It has recently influenced several research works on machine ethics, as recognized by 238 citations on Google scholar".

The "Publication of the Decade" award is a well-deserved recognition of Slavkovik's contributions to autonomous technology and ethics.