Integrating Human-Centered Design, Safe Design, and Human-Centered AI Approaches for Safer and More Reliable Risk Assessment in Complex Systems

This research project focuses on optimizing Risk Assessment processes in complex and safety-critical contexts, through the integration of the human factor, automation, and the principles of Human-Centered Design (HCD). A structured process re-design methodology is proposed, articulated in four main phases: analysis of existing procedures, development of improved solutions, experimentation in real-world contexts, and evaluation of the operational impact. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated through three concrete use cases (PSRA, MPSC, HARA), which highlight how the methodology promotes greater safety, efficiency, and reliability, ensuring consistency in critical decisions and more effective operational support for users. In particular, the PSRA use case was the subject of a publication at the international conference AHFE 2024 (Delvecchio et al., 2024). The research also explores the integration of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI), presenting three application concepts: the digitalization of the HARA process, advanced tools for the assessment of Situational Awareness, and the AI agent for heuristic analysis. The main open challenges in safety-critical domains and prospects for future evolution are discussed, emphasizing how the synergy between HCD and HCAI can enable safer, more reliable, and truly user-centered processes.