Trust of a Military Automated System in an Operational Context

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Within this descriptive article, we examine the drivers of human trust of automation using a fielded military technology as the focus area. In contrast to the laboratory, real-life interactions between humans and automation often take place in settings characterized by high complexity that potentially obscure the antecedents of trust. We approach this complexity through a case study, which captures the richness and variety of the operational context in which humans interact with automation. In particular, we utilize and substantiate a theoretical and conceptual trust model synthesized by Lee and See (2004) Lee, J. D., & See, K. A. (2004). Trust in automation: Designing for appropriate reliance. Human Factors, 46, 50–80. 10.1518/hfes.46.1.50.30392[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] and examine how well it captures the dynamic nature of trust by using a sample of U.S. Air Force F-16 pilots, engineers, and managers of the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS). Our results show the Lee and See model succeeds in capturing most trust factors in the case of these Auto-GCAS stakeholders, and we present areas for enhancement of the model. We conclude by elaborating on lessons learned and hypotheses generated regarding factors affecting trust in Auto-GCAS, providing recommendations for future trust research in field work, and discussing the value of working with an operational community while examining trust evolution over several years.