A team from Aberdeen University is helping develop a "black box recorder" for artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Working in conjunction with academics from Oxford and Cambridge, the team hopes to develop a means to ensure decisions made by future AIs are recorded.

This could be vital as AIs become more and more integrated into daily life, as it would allow their behaviour to be held accountable.

Professor Pete Edwards explained: "AI technologies are being utilised in more and more scenarios including autonomous vehicles, smart home appliances, public services, retail and manufacturing.

"But what happens when such systems fail, as in the case of recent high-profile accidents involving autonomous vehicles?

"How can we hold systems and developers to account if they are found to be making biased or unfair decisions? These are all real and timely challenges, given that AIs will increasingly affect many aspects of everyday life."

The project aims to develop solutions that will support auditing of AI systems, ensuring a level of accountability.

Dr Jat Singh, from the University of Cambridge, said: "Our work will increase the transparency of AI systems not only after the fact, but also in a manner which allows for early interrogation and audit, which in turn may help prevent or mitigate harm."

Professor Williams added: "From a legal perspective the transparency and accountability of these systems is vital and is inherent in any concept we might have of fairness. The law can only regulate and control what it can see.

"Ultimately our ambition is to create a means by which the developer of an intelligent system can provide a secure, tamper-proof record of the system's characteristics and behaviours that can be shared - under controlled circumstances - with relevant authorities in the event of an incident or complaint."