Automation and A.I systems in the aviation industry

 

Most of the flying of a modern commercial aircraft is done by an autopilot. In most cases the only time the pilot is really manually flying the aircraft is during landing, takeoff or an emergency procedure. This along with other developments in A.I and the rise in automation as mentioned in my other blog A.I and automation has led certain startups to start developing pilotless planes. I predict it will be a very long time before we see this idea come to fruition as the aviation industry is heavily regulated. Pilotless aircraft technology will most likely first be implemented in cargo planes. 

Some people are of the opinion that automation and in a way overengineering of everything will cause more problems than solutions. I myself am centrist in the debate of automation vs just leaving things that have worked for decades alone. A.I and automation is driven mostly by the prospect of cutting costs and inflating profits. In some case automation is a good thing in others it is not. If technology reaches a level at which highly skilled professionals such as pilots can be replaced the only logical scenario that will follow is other professionals also losing their jobs. 

Another huge recent development in the aviation industry was the development of automated drones. Companies like amazon are looking at cutting costs and delivering parcels using these machines. This has been a rather recent development and has presented huge challenges in regulation of safety in aviation.