Plenary speech 1:
Title: Fuzzy Logic Based Trustworthy AI for Safety Critical Applications
Kelly Cohen
Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, USA
Abstract:
Trustworthy AI in safety critical systems must be not only accurate but also explainable, testable, and certifiable. In this plenary talk, I will present a fuzzy logic–based framework that unifies human centered rule systems with modern learning to deliver AI that is auditable end to end. I will introduce Genetic Fuzzy Systems (GFS) as a scalable, interpretable alternative to black box models; show how GFS couples with formal verification, runtime monitoring, and uncertainty quantification; and outline how these elements feed a standards ready assurance case. Case studies will span autonomous flight control systems (advanced air mobility operations), cooperative transportation control, and precision medicine (treatment response prediction). Across these examples, I will report quantitative trust metrics—robustness, coverage, fidelity to expert rationale, and causal traceability—and demonstrate how fuzzy logic closes the loop from design to certification and human acceptance.
Biography:
Kelly Cohen, Ph.D., is the Brian H. Rowe Endowed Chair and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati (since 2007), where he directs the AI Bio Lab at Digital Futures. He currently serves as President (2024–2026) of the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society (NAFIPS). Over three decades, Cohen has advanced interpretable, safety aware AI using fuzzy logic across aerospace autonomy, transportation systems, and medicine. His group helped pioneer Genetic Fuzzy Systems (GFS) for transparent decision making for aerospace applications and translated these methods to clinical decision support for psychiatry. He has authored 300+ publications, secured substantial competitive research funding, and mentors an interdisciplinary team at the intersection of fuzzy systems, verification & validation, and responsible AI for safety critical applications. Dr. Cohen’s career is marked by achievement in the field of aerospace engineering and education, including UC’s 2023 faculty-to-faculty mentoring award, UC’s Faculty Career Award, SOCHE (Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education) Excellence Award, UC George Barbour Award for Good Faculty-Student Relations, UC Faculty Core Values Award, UC Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Outstanding Technical Contribution Application Award, the CEAS Distinguished Researcher Award and the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Award, among many others. In June 2025, Dr. Cohen was presented with the “Guardian of Good Award” at ‘Cincy AI Week’ 2025.