The FAA has brought in Palantir, along with Thales SA and Airspace Intelligence, to compete on the project, which is part of a broader push to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system.
The Federal Aviation Administration is considering using Palantir for a new artificial intelligence tool aimed at assisting with air traffic management.
The FAA has brought in Palantir, along with Thales SA and Airspace Intelligence, to compete on the project, which is part of a broader push to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system. Congress has allocated $12.5 billion for the effort, though the FAA has said it will require roughly $20 billion to finish overhauling the system.
“We are going to revolutionize our air traffic management by modernizing our software, moving to a centralized cloud-based software system that will use artificial intelligence to predict air traffic flows and adjust departure times to resolve conflicts,” the FAA said in a statement, according to Bloomberg.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented on the initiatives at the Semafor World Economy Summit earlier this month, saying, “We have three companies that are working right now with us on developing software to look at how flights are managed.” He added that the AI technology could help identify periods of heavy departures or arrivals, allowing the FAA to reduce congestion, and could also assist controllers in monitoring aircraft spacing.
The project, known as Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories, or SMART, is being led by FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and is considered a central part of the agency’s modernization efforts.
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), said SMART is about “preplanning, not about somehow separating airplanes.”
“Humans will separate airplanes,” Daniels said, according to Flying Magazine. “Humans will be responsible for human lives. What we haven’t had is a system that helps us manage the [NAS] before the day even begins.”
Daniels said the system could give “controllers more time to focus on the critical things that happen—an emergency, an aircraft that’s running low on fuel, a weather system that’s rolling in.”
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
