Title: An AI-Based Toolchain Vision for Developing Safety Critical and Compliant Systems

Author(s): Oscar Slotosch

Publication Event: Safety-Critical Systems Symposium 2026

Publication Date: 2025-12-09

Resource URL: https://scsc.uk/r3356.pdf

Abstract:

We propose a vision for an ISO 26262-compliant toolchain designed for the development of safety-critical automotive software systems. The distinguishing feature of this toolchain is its extensive integration of AI-based development tools to automate tasks such as software architecture design, code and test case implementation, and review processes. To ensure safety and compliance, we classify all AI tools within the chain and introduce traditional verification measures, such as static analysis and code coverage, to validate AI-generated artifacts. As a result, only a minimal number of human interventions remain necessary. The toolchain is generic and modular, allowing the integration of various AI models, including do-main-specific or custom-trained solutions for different development stages. While this concept is primarily theoretical and lacks practical implementation experience, it represents a significant challenge for AI in safety-critical contexts rather than a breakthrough in AI tooling. This paper presents the qualification requirements for AI-based tools and proposes a generic toolchain architecture that supports all aspects of ISO 26262 Part 6 software development, with the flexibility to extend to additional stages of the system development process.