US brings AI into air traffic control

The FAA says the technology will assist human controllers rather than replace them AI will begin assisting air traffic controllers at Washington’s three major airports, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced. The rollout comes amid growing concerns over increasingly autonomous technology.The Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories system, or SMART, went live on Monday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, and Baltimore/Washington International Airport.FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the system would give air traffic controllers “much better decision-making capabilities” by using real-time information and predictive analysis to manage congestion, weather disruptions, and aircraft arrival times.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stressed that AI would not take control of US skies and that “it’s always going to be a human that manages the airspace in America.”SMART is expected to decrease landing and departure wait times by suggesting small changes to flight paths when several aircraft are estimated to reach the same airport at roughly the same time. Officials say it could also help controllers react faster ...