In a world where software runs hospitals, banks and transportation, who or what ensures it doesn’t fail?

This was the central question posed by Prof Bassey Isong from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences during his inaugural lecture on 7 August 2025 at North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus.

The lecture, titled “The silent sentinel: Machine learning’s role in securing and ensuring reliable software systems”, unpacked the potential of machine learning to strengthen the reliability and security of digital systems.

“Software is everywhere, from our phones to critical national infrastructure,” said Prof Isong. “As systems become more complex, our old ways of checking for problems aren’t enough anymore.”

Prof Isong explained that traditional quality assurance methods often fail to keep up with modern software demands. He introduced machine learning as a “silent sentinel” that constantly monitors, detects and prevents problems in real time.

“Machine learning tools can predict where failures might happen, detect unusual activity and even respond to threats before they cause harm,” he said.

Using real-life examples and case studies, Prof Isong showed how machine learning is already helping some industries build more reliable systems like Windows Defender, Cisco and Kaspersky lab.

He warned that as we rely more on intelligent systems, we must consider the ethical responsibilities that come with them.

“Technology can do a lot, but we must make sure we are using it responsibly. That’s where interdisciplinary research becomes important,” he added.

The lecture highlighted the role of machine learning not just as a support tool, but as a central player in modern quality assurance. Prof Isong called for collaboration between software engineers, data scientists and ethicists to build dependable systems that people can trust.

As digital systems continue to expand, he concluded, machine learning will be essential in protecting the systems that society depends on.

Prof Bassey Isong