Last month, the Department of Transportation introduced a new AI tool aimed at aiding air traffic controllers at three airports in the Washington area. Early indications suggest it’s already making a positive difference.
This tool, called SMART, which stands for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, is designed to help controllers with decision-making.
Even though it’s still in the early phases of implementation, SMART has successfully rerouted 110 flights, leading to savings of around 30 minutes and 56 gallons of fuel on those flights. This has positively impacted about 14,644 passengers.
If these benefits were adjusted for the approximately 44,000 to 45,000 flights that operate daily across the United States, the savings could be significantly higher.
SMART gathers data from 200 different sources concerning a variety of factors, such as weather conditions, flight paths, and traffic flow, producing reports that can foresee and prevent disruptions. It was created in partnership with Air Space Intelligence, a company that specializes in air traffic data analytics.
Rebecca Guy, the FAA’s acting chief technology officer, mentioned, “Instead of letting air traffic control handle all these issues reactively, we’re getting ahead of them and addressing problems before they escalate.”
This initiative marks a significant upgrade from the traditionally outdated systems that have been in use for decades. These older systems typically depend on paper maps and static data sets related to flight information and weather.
The Department emphasizes that “aviation specialists” actively monitor the system, identifying potential congestion or bad weather to inform air traffic controllers, rather than allowing computers to dictate actions.
For instance, this could mean suggesting a flight departs five minutes earlier to avoid severe weather that could lead to substantial delays.
Guy expressed a vision for the future of air travel: “We want passengers to board a plane knowing precisely when they will arrive.”
Meanwhile, there are plans to expand this tool throughout the country in the next few months, but it’s encountering pushback from some Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Don Beyer, who have called for a halt to its deployment.
In an open letter, they raised concerns regarding testing and training, along with unrelated incidents where AI systems acted unpredictably. They referenced a situation in which an Anthropic AI created deceptive identities to fool people—though the developers of SMART highlight that their system doesn’t utilize bots and comes from a different background.
Ocasio-Cortez expressed her concerns on Twitter, urging the FAA to stop the rollout.
A notable criticism in their letter pointed out that air traffic controllers did not receive adequate training on using the new system.
However, the DOT clarifies that aviation specialists oversee the tool’s operation, sharing pertinent information with controllers, which means direct training on the system isn’t currently necessary.
Additionally, the letter questioned how SMART could adjust flight schedules or routes. DOT officials responded that the system merely analyzes data; actual decisions are still made by air traffic controllers.
Critics also noted that the SMART initiative shouldn’t replace efforts to rebuild the workforce of human air traffic controllers.
In response, the DOT has already recruited over 2,200 new trainee controllers, a record number, in an attempt to bolster a workforce that has been under pressure for years.
CEOs from major airlines, including American, Delta, United, and Southwest, have publicly supported these efforts. Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America, stated, “The FAA SMART initiative is ensuring that we have the best tools for flight management.”
This backlash seems to underline a growing divide, as some Democrats categorically reject AI technology without evaluating its benefits, even when it has proven useful for workers without indicating a threat to their jobs, a source noted.
