The University of Portsmouth has received £60,000 in funding to lead a new research project focused on how humans and artificial intelligence can effectively work together in high-pressure security environments. Announced on 27 April 2026, the project aims to help security organisations make better decisions when dealing with large amounts of uncertain or fragmented information.
Professor Lorraine Hope from the university’s School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences is leading the study. She noted that security teams currently face the complex challenge of needing to make critical choices quickly, despite the risks posed by information overload.
The project, which is set to run over two years, will be split into two main stages. First, researchers will review existing evidence to understand how humans and machines interact. Following this, the team will design realistic, scenario-based simulations to test how people manage information and assess threats when using artificial intelligence tools.
The research is supported by the Network Plus for Analytical Behavioural Science, which is a project funded by UK Research and Innovation and led by Lancaster University. The study team includes experts from Loughborough University, the University of Bath, and the University of Tasmania.
This work aligns with recent calls from the government for increased cooperation between technology experts and national security services to improve cyber defence capabilities, a topic discussed during the CYBERUK 2026 conference in April.
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