KXAN Austin News Feature: “Texas AV rules are changing: UT Austin researchers say safety should change with them”

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April 7, 2026
Student works at UT Austin’s Center for Autonomy

University of Texas researchers have proposed a new way to regulate autonomous-vehicle (AV) safety, pushing for adaptive, continuously updated standards.

Most of the work happens inside UT Austin’s Center for Autonomy, led by aerospace engineering professor Ufuk Topcu. The project builds on Topcu’s 2023 research on “dynamic certifications,” or the ability for a system to learn while certifying.

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