Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) systems will operate in complex, uncertain, and safety-critical environments where human operators remain integral to decision-making, such as airspace management, contingency handling, and mission supervision. However, current autonomy paradigms often rely on one-directional model outputs and static human roles, leading to misalignment, loss of trust, and reduced operational effectiveness. In this talk, I present a unified framework for human–AI teaming that emphasizes epistemic alignment between humans and autonomous systems. The approach integrates three key capabilities: (1) interactive, human-in-the-loop construction of shared causal and anomaly models, (2) real-time inference of human cognitive states such as trust using physiological signals, and (3) formal, explainable representations that support verifiable reasoning. Together, these elements enable closed-loop human–AI systems in which both the human and the autonomy are modeled, inferred, and adapted in real time. This paradigm supports more effective coordination, calibrated trust, and robust decision-making, ultimately enhancing the safety, scalability, and operational reliability of AAM and other safety-critical systems.
Zhaodan Kong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis. He is affiliated with the UC Davis Center for Space Exploration Research and the Center for Neuroengineering and Medicine. He directs the Cyber–Human–Physical Systems (CHPS) Lab, where his research focuses on human–autonomy teaming, trust modeling, explainable and causal AI, and intelligent cyber-physical systems, with applications in advanced air mobility, space systems, neuroengineering, and environmental monitoring. His work integrates control, machine learning, and human sensing to enable safe, adaptive, and trustworthy autonomy in complex environments.
Related Publications:
- Causal Signal Temporal Logic for the Environmental Control and Life Support System’s Fault Analysis and Explanation
- A Reliable Framework for Human-in-the-Loop Anomaly Detection in Time Series
- An EEG-network-metric based approach to real-time trust inference in human-autonomy teaming
About Air Time by NAMS-2
Air Time is a series of seminars on advanced aviation hosted by Crown Innovations, Inc., in collaboration with the University of California’s CITRIS and the Banatao Institute. The seminars feature leading experts on cutting-edge research who share interesting ideas on pertinent topics and innovative methodologies. Air Time speakers include subject matter experts from UC Berkeley, Merced, Davis, and Santa Cruz. The seminars take place weekly.
Crown Innovations, Inc. is the prime contractor for the NASA Academic Mission Services 2 (NAMS-2) contract. Contact the program management at nams2pmo@crownci.com for more information or to arrange a collaboration in your field.