Tech
FAA activates SMART AI tool over Washington DC airspace
Ars Technica details SMART's limited advisory scope
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Sep 20 6:30 PM
· 3d ago · 2 articles · 13 posts · 2 comments · 4 sources · development 4 of 8
Reporting explains SMART will only produce 'alternative route information' for controllers rather than altering procedures, with aviation consultant Philip Mann calling the phased, DC-first rollout the 'right call' given the system's unknowns.
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“SMART’s risk was never any single prediction—it is a national-scale system with AI components carrying more unknowns than anything the FAA has fielded”
Philip Mann Federal Aviation Administration Agency deploying SMART Air Space Intelligence Contractor building SMART Philip Mann Aviation safety and AI governance consultant Sean Duffy US Transportation Secretary Airline industry officials Anonymous sources cited by Politico
The whole story the bright band is this development · numbered dots are the others · click one to jump
Peak 95 pieces in two hours at Sep 21, 11 AM; 334 pieces over 8 days (65 articles · 1 video · 63 posts · 205 comments)
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What people said 9 voices · best of 12 · verbatim
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This was sent to me by @cavorter.bsky.social, and here's my initial thought. GIGO. If the AI tool gets the same data human ATCs do it will probably be helpful sometimes. (ATC already uses computer suggestions for some aspects.) But if it is Garbage In, DC is fucked.
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AI will start being used to help with air traffic control in DC next week... Seems fine. FAA tees up $875M AI tool to h...
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If years of software engineering has taught me anything it's that you test in prod and deploy at 5pm on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
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Guess I'm never flying through DC for the foreseeable future
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Many are talking doom and gloomy with ai, so the faa decides... to make ai central to air traffic control. 🙄 https:// futurism.com/advanced-transpor t/faa-ai-air-traffic-control # faa # ai
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What you guys did? That sounds like the logical thing to do. Instead they seemingly asked an AI/LLM what they should do 😂
J
An AI tool controlling air traffic sounds like an excellent idea.
R
arstechnica.com/ai/2026/09/f... Ars Technica is reporting on it
K
¿El plan de la FAA para arreglar el tráfico aéreo? $875 millones en IA —
All 8 developments of FAA activates SMART AI tool over Washington DC airspace →
Sean Duffy US Transportation SecretaryAirline industry officials Anonymous sources cited by PoliticoS
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