In the future, passenger planes will be able to fly under the control of AI. At least the neural network will be able to replace the co-pilot, he writes Foсus з here on Interesting Engineering.
Such a scenario is being considered by some airlines and aircraft manufacturers, who see it as an opportunity to save money, improve safety and solve the problem of a shortage of skilled personnel.
"AI will impact the aviation industry, and soon single-pilot flights will be possible," said Tim Clark, president of Emirates, one of the world's most famous airlines.
"We have to take the time to see what this AI can offer for the airline industry," he said.
How pilots fly planes
We are used to the fact that our journey by plane is controlled by 2 pilots at once, a maximum of 3 on international flights. But even in the early 1960s, each passenger liner was serviced by a team of 5 or 6 professionals. At that time, due to the imperfection of the technologists, in addition to the pilots, there were also a flight engineer, a navigator, and a radio operator in the cockpit.
Airplanes already use computers to automate many tasks, and autopilots still control the aircraft for long flights, while pilots control operations. Airlines and aircraft manufacturers are now investigating whether artificial intelligence can be assigned a greater role in flights where only one person is required to supervise.
Airplanes were gradually improved, and with them the means of communication and navigation. In principle, even one person can fly an airplane today, but for safety, 2 pilots always go on a flight. During the flight, they change to rest and insure each other.
By the way, when one of the pilots goes to the toilet, the stewardess takes his place, so that if the remaining pilot gets sick, immediately call his partner.
What airlines want from AI
Ideally, carriers would like AI to be able to act as a “sidekick” to the aircraft commander and to be able to take over a significant portion of the functions during the flight. A person will only need to control the systems and work of AI.
Currently, various research and experiments are being conducted on the development and testing of artificial intelligence systems to support the pilot in flight. For example, the Airbus company is working on the ATTOL (Autonomous Taxiing, Take-Off and Landing) project, which allows the aircraft to perform all maneuvers on the ground and in the air without the participation of the pilot. Boeing is also testing autonomous systems on its planes.
But currently, taking into account the development of neural networks, airlines count on the help of AI as an additional member of the crew, such an "all-knowing robot" from fantasy films, which would collect and quickly analyze information about the state of all systems and offer quick and optimal technical solutions. And this option is more acceptable, taking into account the problems that are currently very difficult to solve.
Problems of implementing AI in civil aircraft
Main problem, that appears before airlines, is not technical, but psychological. And so many people with trepidation climb the gangway of an airliner, now imagine that passengers will be told that their plane is being piloted by a "robot". One of our colleagues said that she would agree to fly on such a liner only if the president of the airline and all his family members were sitting next to her in the cabin. It will take more than a decade to prove the safety of a flight with one pilot and his "computer assistant", and any incident will be considered only from the point of view of the imperfection of such a system.
The second problem legislative There are many legal and social hurdles to overcome. Significant changes in legislation, standards, procedures and culture are needed in aviation. The sphere of air transportation is associated with great risks, and it will take a long time for airlines to go through all the circles of "bureaucratic hell". Let's remember how many years the epic with the appearance of self-driving cars on our roads has been going on, and everything will become clear to you.
The third problem lies in the imperfection of neural networks. And here we are talking not only about technical characteristics, but rather about their ability to act like a person in extreme situations. Only humans are still capable of making the most unusual and amazing decisions to land a plane in the event of an accident, for example, on a river. The AI would hardly have started doing that, rather letting the plane just fall, because it simply wouldn't have found other options for landing.
The fourth problem is protest actions of pilots. As the number of people in the cockpit decreased, social protest among airline workers increased. If it were announced tomorrow that AI would now replace the co-pilot, you can imagine how much righteous indignation it would cause among pilots. On the one hand, companies complain about the lack of professional pilots, and on the other hand, the air transport market is suffering from the consequences of the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which left many pilots in the Russian Federation without work due to the sanctions imposed against it.
The future of flying with AI
It is possible that "single-pilot" flights will be introduced gradually and initially only on certain routes or types of aircraft, for example on short intercity routes. This will probably be facilitated by the implementation of transportation by "aerotaxi" type devices.
The successful implementation of urban air transport with the help of AI could help change public opinion. Then the legislators would become more loyal to the introduction of artificial intelligence in such responsible areas as air transportation, and people would not react so sharply.
In any case, representatives of the aviation industry are sure that pilot-controlled flights with AI as a partner are not a fantasy, but a real prospect for aviation in the coming decades.
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