  Robotics in Australia have a long history of conforming with safety standards
and risk managed practices. This chapter articulates the current state of trust
and safety in robotics including society's expectations, safety management
systems and system safety as well as emerging issues and methods for ensuring
safety in increasingly autonomous robotics. The future of trust and safety will
combine standards with iterative, adaptive and responsive regulatory and
assurance methods for diverse applications of robotics, autonomous systems and
artificial intelligence (RAS-AI). Robotics will need novel technical and social
approaches to achieve assurance, particularly for game-changing innovations.
The ability for users to easily update algorithms and software, which alters
the performance of a system, implies that traditional machine assurance
performed prior to deployment or sale, will no longer be viable. Moreover, the
high frequency of updates implies that traditional certification that requires
substantial time will no longer be practical. To alleviate these difficulties,
automation of assurance will likely be needed; something like
'ASsurance-as-a-Service' (ASaaS), where APIs constantly ping RAS-AI to ensure
abidance with various rules, frameworks and behavioural expectations. There are
exceptions to this, such as in contested or communications denied environments,
or in underground or undersea mining; and these systems need their own risk
assessments and limitations imposed. Indeed, self-monitors are already
operating within some systems. To ensure safe operations of future robotics
systems, Australia needs to invest in RAS-AI assurance research, stakeholder
engagement and continued development and refinement of robust frameworks,
methods, guidelines and policy in order to educate and prepare its technology
developers, certifiers, and general population.
