A Democratic congressman representing northern Virginia slammed the Federal Aviation Administration for using his constituents “as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system” that it rolled out on Monday.
The FAA on Monday began using the AI-supported air traffic control tool in the Washington area and plans to expand it to other parts of the country.
Rep. Don Beyer said air traffic controllers were not trained on using SMART before its deployment at local airports on Monday, nor were they consulted on the design of the system, which can recommend schedules and routes.
“I do not know why the administration felt the need to race it into use, but it is unacceptable to use AI as a substitute for rebuilding the human-directed air traffic controller workforce,” he said in a statement.
The tool, called Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories, or SMART centralizes 200 data streams tracking weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow and air traffic controller staffing metrics into a single platform.
The system synthesizes the data to provide a “comprehensive visualization of where planes are going, how much traffic the system can handle, and where congestion or weather could cause challenges,” allowing aviation specialists to fix problems before they arise, according to the Transportation Department.
The Transportation Department said FAA staff reviews all of SMART’s recommendations and local leadership at air traffic control facilities can choose whether to accept or reject its scheduling suggestions.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the SMART system “a 21st-century scheduling tool” that will reduce stress on air traffic controllers, reduce flight delays and help lower travel prices.
“The Trump administration is committed to making flying hassle-free and affordable again,” he said, noting the SMART tool is just one step toward a broader overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control system.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said combining SMART with the agency’s ongoing hardware upgrades “gives us the tools to cut flight delays, optimize traffic, and keep airspace capacity across the country open — all while maintaining our gold standard of safety.”
Mr. Beyer, who represents the area where the tool is being deployed and is co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, does not see it that way.
“Residents of this region are still uncertain about air safety after last year’s fatal accident, and the administration did shockingly little to educate the traveling public about this development before implementing it in one of the most complex airspaces in the world,” he said.
Mr. Beyer called on the FAA to suspend SMART’s operation “until it is clearly established beyond doubt via air traffic controller feedback and independently verified stress testing that the technology is safe.”
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