000007645 001__ 7645 000007645 005__ 20241024114711.0 000007645 02470 $$2doi$$a10.24868/issn.2515-818X.2020.002 000007645 035__ $$a4468679 000007645 037__ $$aGENERAL 000007645 245__ $$aConsciousness in Autonomous Systems 000007645 269__ $$a2020-10-05 000007645 336__ $$aConference Proceedings 000007645 520__ $$aStandards of artificial intelligence have evolved rapidly with technology over time and today autonomous<br> systems are expected to collaborate in more and more complex environments, such as in the field of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs). ASVs have a requirement to operate safely in dynamically changing surroundings and interact with humans. This requires a certain level of consciousness. For the purpose of this paper, consciousness is defined as &#39;the state of being aware of and responsive to one&#39;s surroundings&#39;. In order to obtain consciousness, an autonomous system must climb the knowledge pyramid of data science in real time. That is to say it must:<br> - Ingest (potentially huge amounts of) data from diverse sources which may contain different types of<br> information in different formats.<br> - Convert each set of data into useful information about the surrounding environment and filter out noise.<br> - Combine this data to generate situational awareness.<br> - Convert this situational awareness into wisdom to evaluate the best course of action.<br> With over 20 years&rsquo; L3Harris Technologies, Inc. understands the human-machine relationship intimately. With over 2000 days of on water testing the team has experienced first-hand how readily operators trust machines, as can be seen all around in everyday life. It is imperative to match this trust with trust-worthiness and in autonomous systems, this can only be achieved with consciousness. L3Harris&rsquo; autonomous control system, has been tested in a range of environments: missions have been conducted in daytime and night time, calm and rough seas, open water locations and busy ports with dense traffic. Each setting poses its own challenges, and autonomous systems are required to be consistently reliable. Recent advancements in technology have increased the level of consciousness achievable in systems operating today. This paper discusses the evolution of technology that has made increasing levels of consciousness achievable today and the implications on human-machine interaction, drawing on examples from L3Harris&rsquo; experience. 000007645 542__ $$fCC-BY-4.0 000007645 6531_ $$aAutonomy 000007645 6531_ $$aArtificial Intelligence 000007645 6531_ $$aMachine Learning 000007645 6531_ $$aHuman-Machine Teaming 000007645 7001_ $$aThomas, Hannah$$uL3Harris, Portsmouth, United Kingdom 000007645 7001_ $$aParkin, Emma$$uL3Harris, Portsmouth, United Kingdom 000007645 773__ $$tConference Proceedings of INEC 000007645 773__ $$jINEC 2020 000007645 789__ $$whttps://zenodo.org/record/4468679$$2URL$$eIsIdenticalTo 000007645 8564_ $$9984574d9-f5a1-48f5-b839-da6c7d14ae66$$s2345421$$uhttps://library.imarest.org/record/7645/files/INEC_2020_Paper_3.pdf