Khan Mohammad Habibullah

Hans-Martin Heyn, Khan Mohammad Habibullah, Eric Knauss et al.

Software that contains machine learning algorithms is an integral part of automotive perception, for example, in driving automation systems. The development of such software, specifically the training and validation of the machine learning components, require large annotated datasets. An industry of data and annotation services has emerged to serve the development of such data-intensive automotive software components. Wide-spread difficulties to specify data and annotation needs challenge collaborations between OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and their suppliers of software components, data, and annotations. This paper investigates the reasons for these difficulties for practitioners in the Swedish automotive industry to arrive at clear specifications for data and annotations. The results from an interview study show that a lack of effective metrics for data quality aspects, ambiguities in the way of working, unclear definitions of annotation quality, and deficits in the business ecosystems are causes for the difficulty in deriving the specifications. We provide a list of recommendations that can mitigate challenges when deriving specifications and we propose future research opportunities to overcome these challenges. Our work contributes towards the on-going research on accountability of machine learning as applied to complex software systems, especially for high-stake applications such as automated driving.

Khan Mohammad Habibullah, Jennifer Horkoff

Machine Learning (ML) is an application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that uses big data to produce complex predictions and decision-making systems, which would be challenging to obtain otherwise. To ensure the success of ML-enabled systems, it is essential to be aware of certain qualities of ML solutions (performance, transparency, fairness), known from a Requirement Engineering (RE) perspective as non-functional requirements (NFRs). However, when systems involve ML, NFRs for traditional software may not apply in the same ways; some NFRs may become more prominent or less important; NFRs may be defined over the ML model, data, or the entire system; and NFRs for ML may be measured differently. In this work, we aim to understand the state-of-the-art and challenges of dealing with NFRs for ML in industry. We interviewed ten engineering practitioners working with NFRs and ML. We find examples of (1) the identification and measurement of NFRs for ML, (2) identification of more and less important NFRs for ML, and (3) the challenges associated with NFRs and ML in the industry. This knowledge paints a picture of how ML-related NFRs are treated in practice and helps to guide future RE for ML efforts.