AI Technology
Can you trust AI-generated code in safety-critical systems?
AI-generated code is moving quickly from experiment to everyday engineering practice. For teams building safety- and security-critical software, the question is not only whether AI can write the code, but whether that code can be trusted. CIE spoke to Tony Aiello, product manager at AdaCore, about high-integrity software, the economics of assurance, and how deterministic tools could help close the trust gap.
CIE: AI dominates the technology headlines. Why is trust in AI- generated code such a pressing question for safety-critical industries? Tony Aiello: In most software, a bug is an inconvenience. In safety- and security- critical environments such as aerospace, defence, automotive, medical, finance, and industrial systems, a defect can have serious consequences. So, the pressing question for these teams is simple: how can you trust AI- generated code when failure isn’t an option? Not every organisation will be ready to use AI-generated code in its projects today, and that’s fine. We aim to help software development teams prepare for a future in which AI is part of how high-integrity software is built.
20 October 2026
CIE: What makes high-integrity software? Tony Aiello: High-integrity software runs the world quietly. We rarely notice it until it fails, and when it does, the consequences are real: breaches of privacy, financial loss, injury, and even loss of life. That’s why it’s built differently. It is rigorously reviewed and thoroughly tested before it’s deployed, and in many sectors, it has to be certified against demanding standards.
CIE: If this approach works, why don’t we see more of it? Tony Aiello: Largely because of cost. Building high-integrity software takes more focus, more time, and more people, so it costs more. That creates a real tension. We want
Components in Electronics
more safe and secure software in the world, but too often the economics don’t allow it to be built or bought. The result is a world that is less safe and secure than it could be.
CIE: How could AI change those economics? Tony Aiello: We believe AI has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of building high-integrity software. So much so that we can choose to build and field more high-integrity systems across more domains. This is because, used well, AI could help teams deliver safer, more secure software faster and at lower cost. It can automate many of the steps involved in producing and certifying high-integrity software, which frees engineers to focus their expertise where it matters most.
CIE: Does that mean AI will replace engineers? Tony Aiello: There is no doubt that AI will change the nature of the workforce, but it is too early to say how. We see AI as a powerful tool that helps human engineers work more efficiently and effectively, not as a substitute for them. Human judgement remains essential throughout the engineering process, and AI does not replace human accountability for the software that’s produced. The people who sign off on a system are still responsible for it.
CIE: So, what is the main barrier to adoption? Tony Aiello: Trust. How can we be confident that AI output is correct and complete? In high-integrity systems, both matter enormously. That trust will be demanded
www.cieonline.co.uk
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