RESPONSE Project Advances Discussion on Future Cockpit Safety at HCII 2025

RESPONSE made a significant contribution to the discussion on future cockpit safety at the 27th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII 2025), held from June 22-27 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The paper, titled “Safe Return-to-Land Operations in Future Cockpits: An Analysis of Cases and Mitigation Technologies”, was presented by its lead author, Andrew Fuchs, during the “Human Factors and Next-Generation Digital Assistants in Aviation – II” session.

The work is a collaborative effort reflecting the multidisciplinary strength of the RESPONSE consortium, authored by:

  • Andrew Fuchs, Adrien Metge and Carmen Bejarano (Collins Aerospace, Ireland)
  • Andres Perillo, Jose Manuel Cordero and Sara Ruano (CRIDA, Spain)
  • Anna Giulia Vicario, Ginevra Fedrizzi and Paris Vaiopoulos (Deep Blue, Italy)

The presentation prompted a productive Q&A session that explored key challenges in the field, confirming the relevance of RESPONSE’s research. The most engaging discussion topics included:

  • Attention and Trust: How a pilot’s attention shifts when using a digital assistant and whether trust allows them to focus on more critical tasks.
  • Expectations for Autonomy: The future role of autonomous systems, debating whether they should serve as tools or as human replacements, and the complexities of safety and human acceptance of AI as a team member.
  • Teaming Paradigms: How to define the hierarchy and authority between a human and an autonomous system, especially regarding final decision-making.
  • Anticipating User Needs: The capability of systems to adequately predict a pilot’s goals and prepare to offer proactive support.

Reflecting on the event, Andrew Fuchs commented:

“It was an excellent opportunity to share our work as well as interact with others considering related aspects regarding the use of digital assistants in aviation. The session included several interesting papers and generated many interesting questions and discussions. We thank the organizers of the event for the opportunity to present our work and participate in the great discussions.”

The positive reception at HCII 2025 represents a significant milestone for the RESPONSE project, validating its research direction and highlighting its role as a key contributor to the design of safe and human-centric cockpits of the future.

The full paper will be available to read soon. Follow our project updates so you don’t miss its release!