EAA AirVenture Oshkosh day 3: AI’s impact on aviation could include running air traffic control, one engineer says.
OSHKOSH – Could we see a world where air traffic control is run by artificial intelligence?
At least one man thinks it’s possible by 2029.
AI scientist and Robometrics Machines founder Aditya Mohan thinks aviation will significantly benefit from the use of generative AI after developing two flight-based programs — Amelia AGI and Copilot AI.
Mohan’s presentation was one of the highlights of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh July 23, with the AI expert and aviation enthusiast showcasing the wide-ranging possibilities, including autonomous traffic management systems and real-time airspace coordination.
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It wasn’t just theoretical, either, as Mohan displayed a video of him running Copilot AI during a demo of a Cessna 1821 encountering engine failure shortly after takeoff.
“Sometimes people skip the checklists or sometimes they’re not aware they’re stressed and that’s where these products help,” Mohan explained.
The demo showed Copilot AI walking Mohan — who is a pilot — through the checklist step by step while waiting for him to complete each procedure like a virtual copilot.
“It’s very simple, this is here to save lives and anything you can do in an aircraft that makes flying safer is better for each and every one of us,” Mohan said.
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According to Mohan, Copilot AI enables pilots to find information about aircraft operation, performance metrics and troubleshooting faster through a simple conversational interface.
Robometrics’ website shows Copilot AI supports a number of Cessna, Beechcraft and Daher TBM aircrafts, but Mohan advised the program is not “technically meant for in-flight operation.”
“What you do with it is up to you,” Mohan said.
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Amelia AGI is in the alpha stage of development and is listed on Robometrics’ site as $10,000 per aircraft.
“I’m not saying we have to do anything so it’s just a question of, do you want to do it?” said Mohan about the use of AI in aviation.
Mohan’s presentation briefly touched on his expected uses of AI by next year, which includes aircraft software modernization, flight planning and optimization, and real-time data analytics for predictive aircraft maintenance.
By 2029, Mohan believes air traffic control systems for smaller airports could be fully automated while AI could provide advanced bioengineered materials for aircraft construction to reduce weight.
The 71st EAA AirVenture Oshkosh runs daily through July 28 at Wittman Regional Airport, 525 W. 20th Ave., Oshkosh. Daily tickets are $45 for adult members and $63 for adult non-members. Veterans and active military members pay $45 while kids 18 years and younger are admitted free. For more information, go to https://www.eaa.org/airventure.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: AI in aviation: Artificial intelligence could run air traffic control
