PhD Studentship: Trustworthy AI for Socially Compliant Autonomous Driving

Concerns about Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) navigating complex driving scenarios necessitate balancing safety, legality, ethics, and comfort, akin to human drivers. AVs must adhere to legal and ethical standards alongside technical requirements, facing challenges due to varying laws across jurisdictions and the ambiguity of human-centric regulations. For example, while adhering to speed limits is straightforward, overtaking scenarios pose questions on how AVs should act, highlighting the need for a normative framework based on legal rules and societal values.

This PhD research aims to design an intelligent decision-making system for AVs that incorporates symbolic AI and reinforcement learning within ethical and legal boundaries. Starting with a normative framework that includes legal and ethical considerations, the project explores Meta-Interpretive Learning (MIL) and Inverse Reinforcement Learning (IRL) to mimic responsible human driving and manage rule ambiguities. MIL allows for the integration of human knowledge into explainable models, while IRL aligns AV decisions with human values, adapting driving objectives as per situational demands. This approach uses neuro-symbolic reinforcement learning to develop interpretable AI techniques, crafting policies that meet human driving expectations through dynamic reward functions. This research bridges the gap between technological capabilities and human-centric legal and ethical standards, aiming to enhance AV decision-making for responsible and safe driving.

Supervisors: Dr Saber Fallah, Professor Ryan Abbott, Dr Alireza Tamaddoni-Nezhad and Dr Alex Leveringhouse

Entry requirements

Open to any UK or international candidates. Starting in October 2024.

You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for our PhD programme.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted via the Vision, Speech and Signal Processing PhD programme page.

In place of a research proposal, you should upload a document stating the title of the project that you wish to apply for and the name of the relevant supervisor. 

Please note that applications will be reviewed upon submission, and applicants may be invited for an interview before the deadline if their application meets the requirements.

Funding 

A stipend of £18,622 for 23/24, which will increase each year in line with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) rate, plus home rate fee allowance of £4,712 (with automatic increase to UKRI rate each year). The studentship funding is offered for 3.5 years. For exceptional international candidates, there is the possibility of obtaining a scholarship to cover overseas fees. 

Application deadline 

31 May 2024 

Enquiries 

Contact Dr Saber Fallah

Ref                                          

PGR-2223-054

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