Why Do We Need to Verify Software, and What Can We Achieve?

- By Dr. Bertrand Meyer

Software plays an integral role in nearly every aspect of modern life, making its reliability and correctness crucial. In his keynote at Constructor Institute’s Research Day, Dr. Bertrand Meyer emphasized that software verification is not merely a technical requirement but a societal necessity. He illustrated this with the UK Post Office Horizon Scandal, where inadequate software verification led to catastrophic human and legal consequences-highlighting the broader impacts of software errors.

Verification involves the rigorous evaluation of software to ensure it adheres to defined specifications. At Constructor Institute, research in this area includes tools like AutoProof, which allows formal verification of programs written in Eiffel. These efforts aim to build a culture of quality and trust in software systems. Dr. Meyer’s central message was clear: as digital systems become more central to societal infrastructure, verified software must become the norm, not the exception.