Intellectual Property: 

When analyzing the data collected from an airplane like the A350 XWB, AI would be a great tool to use to see trends in data or spot errors. However, the system that analyzes data should not be allowed to make adjustments to the aircraft, only suggestions to the pilot, to avoid issues like the Boeing 737 crashes that have happened.

​

For the Boeing 737, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) is used during flight to assist with turns, takeoff, and landing. The system was added because the aircraft was upgraded with a more fuel efficient engine that produces less thrust (1). The question arises when the aircraft crashed in 2018, who is responsible? 

​

In 2018, over 13,300 commercial jet aircraft, valued at approximately $331 billion, are owned by operating lessors and leased to global airlines and represents at least 49% of operational airline planes (2). Despite whether a plane is owned or leased, the manufacturer of the plane is responsible for the systems that are being used. So in the case of the Boeing 737 Max 8 crash, the MCAS system fighting against the pilot was the reason the plane crashed.

​

Now with the introduction of AI into a cockpit, the AI could potentially lock a pilot out completely if the system wanted to take control of a plane. 

​

AI should not, and does not need to fly the plane because airline pilots are expert flyers. In most cases in the U.S., both the captain and the copilot need at least 1,500 hours of flight experience. Overseas, first officers might have as little as 250 hours (3). On the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed, the captain had 8,100 hours of flight time but the first officer had 350 hours, according to the airline (3). 

​

A current system that is trying to collect and analyze data is the Airbus Skywise System. With Skywise, operators of Airbus aircraft will be in a position to leverage the cumulative knowledge of the 20,000 Airbus engineers who have tracked the performance of each individual aircraft over its entire operational life (4). This system could be beneficial to Airbus, but the engineers should be careful and keep testing the conclusions the system makes to ensure no mistakes.