From autonomous vehicles to smart homes and cities – increasingly computer programs participate in actions and decisions that affect humans. However, our understanding of how these applications interact and what are the causes of a specific automated decision cascade is lagging far behind. It is nowadays virtually impossible to provide scientifically well-founded answers to questions about the exact reasons that lead to a particular decision, let alone about accountability in case of the malfunctioning of, say, an exhaust aftertreatment system in a modern car. The root of the problem is that contemporary systems do not have any built-in concepts to explicate their behaviour. They calculate and propagate outcomes of computations, but are not designed to provide explanations. They are not perspicuous.

This keynote will discuss the need for establishing a science of perspicuous computing as the key to enable comprehension in a cyber-physical world. Concretely we will discuss lessons learnt from applying model checking, model-based testing and run-time verification approaches to uncover software problems in cars equipped with modern combustion engines. This work is placed in the context of focussed activities that are currently being ramped up as part of the DFG-funded Transregional Collaborative Research Centre 248 - https://www.perspicuous-computing.science/

Holger Hermanns is a full professor in computer science at Saarland University in Germany, heading the Dependable Systems and Software group. From April 2004 to March 2006, Holger Hermanns has served as Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, and has served as its Dean from April 2010 to March 2012. Afterwards he did his best to serve as Dean of Hearts. Holger Hermanns is elected member of Academia Europaea. In 2016 he got awarded an ERC Advanced Grant.