Duffy addresses concerns of AI use in air traffic control
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed concerns regarding the use of artificial intelligence in a new air traffic control system on Thursday, assuring Americans that the Trump administration is “not outsourcing aviation to AI.”
TL;DR
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy assures that humans remain in control of air traffic control.
- The new AI-powered SMART system assists human controllers by analyzing weather patterns and flight trajectories.
- SMART is part of a larger air traffic control system upgrade called Flow Management Data and Services.
- The technology aims to provide better foresight to human controllers, leading to fewer delays and cancellations.
- The program will initially be deployed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
- A previous mid-air collision near Reagan National Airport spurred Duffy's commitment to modernizing air traffic control technologies.