Autonomous systems are technologies, ranging from software algorithms to robots, which can make independent decisions with varying levels of human control and learn and change their behaviour. These systems have the potential to immensely transform both society and industry (e.g., health, transport, communications and manufacturing). In order for society to use and benefit from autonomous systems people need to trust them. This means that the autonomous systems need to function as expected for their purpose, and they need to be designed and tested to ensure that their functioning is reliable, and appropriate within a legal, ethical, and social context. The UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) Hub will start to address this and deliver against these challenges.

The TAS programme is a major £33M UKRI/SPF investment (Community-led, result of the EPSRC Big Ideas Challenge). Consists of the hub (£11.7M, £4M is to be dedicated to pump-priming projects) will coordinate seven research nodes (£3M each)

The Trusted Autonomous Systems Hub assembles a team that is world-renowned for research in understanding the socially embedded nature of technologies. The TAS Hub aims to bring together the UK’s world-leading expertise in areas ranging from computing and robotics to social sciences and the humanities to ensure that autonomous systems are trustworthy by design and default and can ultimately benefit society and industry.

The TAS Hub has three core objectives:

1. Coordination and collaboration: to build a coherent, interconnected and multidisciplinary UK research community around the theme of Trustworthy Autonomous Systems
2. Creativity and multi-disciplinary: to invest at scale in world-leading creative and adventurous fundamental research into the technical, social and ethical challenges surrounding Trustworthy Autonomous Systems, drawing on diverse approaches from across disciplines.
3. Advocacy and engagement: to establish a UK focal point for active engagement with key stakeholders including wider academia regulators, policy makers, industry, businesses, Non-Governmental Organisations and the public.

The core of the Research Programme is to amplify and shape TAS research and innovation in the UK, building on existing programmes and linking with the seven TAS nodes to deliver a coherent programme to ensure coverage of the fundamental research issues.