When communication breaks down or what was that? – The importance of communication for successful coordination in complex systems

Automation is increasingly prominent in today’s vehicles. Initial systems will likely have some limitations, such as highway only automation. Thus, the designers such systems rely on the driver to resume control of the vehicle when the limits are reached. Such a system introduce similar problems that have been prominent in aviation, relying on the pilot to safely resume control. To resume control of the vehicle, collaboration and communication is key, as most systemfailures are associated with breakdowns in communication and “the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” (George Bernard Shaw). The paper outlook is from an Automated Driving perspective and AF447 serves as an illustrative example of the application of the explanatory capabilities of theGricean Maxims in assessing Human-Agent communication in complex systems. Lastly, the paper discusses lessons learnt and potential application of the maxims in designing safe human-agent collaboration. © 2015 The Authors.Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of AHFE Conference.