Resilience in emerging complex intelligent systems: A case study of search and rescue

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of complex systems and critical infrastructures, perspectives on resilience may need to be revisited. This paper focuses on the challenges and approaches in engineering design for achieving resilience in complex and increasingly intelligent systems (CoIS). Building on a case study of a system situated in the context of search and rescue (SAR) operations at sea as well as scenarios of SAR operations supported by AI solutions, it outlines challenges for organisational and engineering design in contexts where flexibility, adaptability, and high reliability are important. The findings point at resilience as a system property, made up of the constituent systems, their interaction and coordination in a system-of-systems framework. AI and autonomy in CoIS represent potentially a double-edged sword; while AI and autonomy contribute to system capabilities and resilience, they can also introduce limitations in terms of, for instance, confined operational envelopes. Achieving resilience in CoIS thus requires a holistic approach that considers constituent systems as well as their interplay, organisational factors, and the judicious balance of AI and human-based solutions.