Prof. Jane Cleland-Huang

Frank M. Freimann Professor & Chair
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
University of Notre Dame

Requirements Engineering Meets Physical AI: Lessons from Human-Autonomy Teaming

Abstract

Generative AI and autonomous agents are rapidly becoming part of Requirements Engineering (RE) practice, supporting elicitation, analysis, prioritization, and decision-making. As these systems assume increasingly active roles, RE faces challenges that extend beyond automation, including questions of trust, oversight, accountability, and the appropriate division of responsibility between humans and AI.

Drawing on lessons from the DroneResponse project, this keynote explores how Human–Autonomy Teaming, Physical AI, calibrated trust, shared mental models, and meaningful human oversight can help AI augment rather than diminish human expertise.

Speaker Biography

Prof. Jane Cleland-Huang is the Frank M. Freimann Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an honorary doctorate from the University of Gothenburg.

Her research focuses on Requirements Engineering, Human–Machine Interaction, Autonomous Systems, and sUAS Safety Assurance. She directs the Software and Requirements Engineering Research Laboratory and leads the internationally recognized DroneResponse project.

She has served as Program Chair for IEEE RE, ESEC/FSE, ICSE, CAIN, and SPLC, served as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, received seven ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Awards, the Mannfred Paul Award, and two CHI Honorary Mentions.