4 ms·

Somewhat off topic, but I would like to see this in commercial aircraft first. Dogfights? No, automated AI running through checklists and automated coordinati

Somewhat off topic, but I would like to see this in commercial aircraft first. Dogfights? No, automated AI running through checklists and automated coordination with ATC ground systems. Today if the aircraft you are flying in has problems, the captain and co-captain work as a team to go through a long set of conditional checklists. This is precious time they don't have and very prone to human error. If something is not correctable, they may call pan-pan or mayday if they have time. First priority is to fly the plane. With "AI" the aircraft could have figured out the problem was about to happen, attempt several thousand combinations of corrections or compensating controls and ATC would already know the exact condition before a human uttered a word. Automatic escalation could bring on a set of support staff with knowledge of the aircraft if it can't self correct. Instead today we are depending on humans for this and then recovering a data flight recorder to see after the fact what went wrong. After we perfect this, then teach the aircraft dogfights for aircraft/drone avoidance, allowing aircraft to communicate their intentions. This could also help compensate for over zealous pilots pull back too much on take off, inducing drag/stall on a high angle of attack / low speed.

Breza 6y ago
It depends on what goes wrong. If the failure is within the design spec (eg Engine 2 just flamed out) then it could speed through the checklists faster than humans. That kind of system may have prevented the loss of Air France 447. I think an AI system would have resulted in a higher loss of life on United 232, when the four humans in the flight deck managed to figure out how to crash the plane on a runway (where a MASSIVE fire/rescue response was waiting) instead of just flopping over into the nearest cornfield. Related, here's my favorite radio call of all time, recorded when Captain Haynes was flinging the out-of-control United 232 in the direction of the airport, knowing that even if he made it to a runway he didn't have any way to stop. "Sioux City Approach: United Two Thirty-Two Heavy, the wind's currently three six zero at one one; three sixty at eleven. You're cleared to land on any runway." "Haynes: [laughter] Roger. [laughter] You want to be particular and make it a runway, huh?"

Breza 6y ago

It depends on what goes wrong. If the failure is within the design spec (eg Engine 2 just flamed out) then it could speed through the checklists faster than humans. That kind of system may have prevented the loss of Air France 447. I think an AI system would have resulted in a higher loss of life on United 232, when the four humans in the flight deck managed to figure out how to crash the plane on a runway (where a MASSIVE fire/rescue response was waiting) instead of just flopping over into the nearest cornfield. Related, here's my favorite radio call of all time, recorded when Captain Haynes was flinging the out-of-control United 232 in the direction of the airport, knowing that even if he made it to a runway he didn't have any way to stop. "Sioux City Approach: United Two Thirty-Two Heavy, the wind's currently three six zero at one one; three sixty at eleven. You're cleared to land on any runway." "Haynes: [laughter] Roger. [laughter] You want to be particular and make it a runway, huh?"