Trustworthy Resolution of Requirement Conflicts at Runtime

Paper in proceeding, 2026

As software systems become increasingly autonomous, trust has emerged as a critical factor that directly influences users' acceptance and adoption of these systems. However, trust is challenged by conflicting system requirements, as they can lead to unexpected and potentially unwanted system behaviour. Particularly in autonomous systems that operate in dynamic and uncertain environments, conflicts are likely and need to be managed in a way that preserves and positively impacts the user's trust. This thesis investigates how conflicting requirements can be managed at runtime in a way that maintains user trust. The resulting contributions aim to establish guidelines for trustworthy conflict management that ensure that conflict resolution is both effective and aligned with user expectations.