The Engendering Of Trust and Attribution of Blame in Self-Driving Cars Following a Cyber Attack

Even as our ability to counter cyber-attack methods improves, it is inevitable that malevolent cyber-attacks will sometimes break through, either through exploited vulnerabilities of a system, or through user error. Aside from the material losses incurred, such attacks undermine trust that we place in these systems. Safety critical systems such as AVs are particularly vulnerable to loss of trust - as they are still a relatively new technology with relatively little wide-spread mass user experience. Here, the perceived increase to danger may be disproportionate to the reality but it will inevitably prevent the uptake of AVs. Issues of trust may particularly impact schemes by the UK government to roll-out a 'transport revolution' worth £42 billion to the UK economy , and with such technologies being introduced as early as this year .