Washington, D.C.—Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation André Carson (D-IN) and 21 Democratic members of the T&I Committee wrote to United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) Acting Comptroller General of the United States Orice Brown requesting an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) deployment of the AI-based SMART (Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories) and FMDS (Flow Management Data and Services) platforms.
“As the Government Accountability Office has previously reported, the Federal Aviation Administration has struggled for decades to modernize the technology and infrastructure supporting the nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system, resulting in outdated systems that undermine the safety and reliability of U.S. aviation,” the members wrote.
“While technological modernization is essential, the FAA’s development and implementation of FMDS and SMART have generated considerable concern from Members of this Committee and key aviation stakeholders. Concerningly, the nation’s frontline aviation safety workforce apparently had little to no input into SMART’s development and have received limited training and information during the current deployment process,” the members continued.
The members also highlighted the need for proper safety guardrails, writing, “The use of artificial intelligence within SMART has rightfully raised serious questions about its reliability and safety benefits, particularly on its potential to interfere with decision-making by experienced air traffic controllers or to hallucinate safety-critical information.”
“Transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of modern, data-driven air traffic control tools are essential to airspace safety,” they continued.
The Members concluded by requesting GAO to assess the FAA’s (1) safety risk management analysis of SMART and FMDS; (2) plans to test, evaluate and certify the platforms for operational use; (3) performance metrics used to determine the safety, effectiveness and reliability of SMART; and (4) deployment strategy, including coordination with key stakeholders.
To read the full letter, click HERE.
--30--