Virtual Wingman

Aggressive competitors, challenging economics, and a dip in the market all spell trouble. So what’s new about this launch?

- Daniel Cote

WHILE THE SPEED at which artificial intelligence (AI) is pervading mainstream society could seemingly break the sound barrier, aviation authorities are taking a slower, more cautious approach to its potential applications in the cockpit. After all, the implications of a sophisticated AI system acting as copilot raise serious questions, such as, will it second-guess or even stop the human pilot from flying if the computer perceives an imminent emergency, which may or may not exist?

The answer is not yet definitive. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have both published papers acknowledging AI’s future in aircraft operations, emphasising that safety needs to be the primary criterion for certification. EASA forecasts a three-stage implementation: AI first assisting human pilots with information, then human and AI ‘teams’ working together through 2035, and, finally, advanced automation and autonomous flight after 2035.