The Federal Aviation Administration’s use of artificial intelligence is coming under scrutiny from its inspector general and Capitol Hill amid staffing concerns.
Congress is calling on the Government Accountability Office to audit the FAA’s AI-enabled air traffic software, only a month after the agency piloted the platforms. Over 20 members of Congress signed a letter to GAO asking for a review the FAA’s Flow Management Data and Services (FMDS) and Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART).
This is the second letter to FAA in the past month from lawmakers, expressing concerns about FMDS and SMART. Earlier this month, members of Congress wrote to Transportation Department Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford asking for the agency to pause the use of FMDS and SMART in the airspace above the National Capital Region (NRC) until the agency puts more safety measures in place.
Members also rang alarm bells about cybersecurity and AI following the recent reports of AI models going rogue.
“There has been little transparency from either DOT or the FAA on how the AI systems underlying SMART were tested … nor has information been shared as to why the NCR was chosen as the pilot test region,” lawmakers wrote in the Oct. 9 letter.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said in a statement to Federal News Network that any new technology should “complement and not replace the experience, training and professional judgment of air traffic controllers who are responsible for the safety of the National Airspace System.”
Adequate AI reviews are necessary
GAO released two reports on aviation cybersecurity in June and August that found the FAA’s air traffic and data communication systems are vulnerable to cyber threats. GAO Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity Director Jennifer Franks told Federal News Network in August that GAO recommended improvements to threat detection and mitigation efforts.
“You can have a procedure and guardrails in place, but unless you fully implement all the necessary controls, you will have gaps in your processing of capabilities. We have to look at our privileged user controls and get into more of those zero trust architectural principles that really help us to refine some of the security controls that are needed to enhance the environment,” Franks said on The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton.
The lawmakers also acknowledged the need for FAA’s modernization efforts, but stressed safety should be the priority for the agency. Members of Congress wrote in both recent letters that without adequate review, AI could impact the current control systems in unknown ways.
“Decades of research show that people tend to over-rely on automated recommendations, a phenomenon known as automation bias, particularly under overworked conditions. Adding new, untested layers to these systems, especially those that are not yet ‘ready to immediately transform flight operations’, according to airline industry officials, must be done in partnership with all stakeholders in the aviation safety ecosystem,” members wrote.
In the second letter sent on Oct. 9, lawmakers want the FAA to respond to several questions regarding pre-deployment testing and evaluation, stakeholder training and the assessments and oversight of the systems post-deployment by Oct. 19.
The shortage of air traffic controllers and the lack of adequate training have amplified Congress’ concerns about adding AI into the mix.
“We have heard from several sources that frontline aviation safety workers were notified of the SMART tool rollout mere days in advance or not at all, giving them no time to learn how the system works, how it is incorporated into their workflow, and what oversight and accountability mechanisms maintain aviation safety standards,” members wrote.
IG to review training efforts
At the same time, the FAA’s Office of Inspector General said Friday it will begin a review of the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) to identify areas for improvement. In June, the OIG found that despite making progress in improving air traffic controller training, the FAA still has work to do to accelerate the controller certification process.
“FAA does not adequately prepare certified professional controllers to serve in the critical on-the-job (OTJ) instructor role. Training for OTJ instructors is limited and outdated, and FAA lacks a formal program for improving instructors’ teaching skills,” FAA OIG wrote in the June report.
The FAA seems to be recognizing that it needs to increase training for air traffic controllers. The agency said this week it’s reinstating the Flight Deck Training program to give controllers firsthand experience with flight deck operations. The program, paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is in partnership with NATCA. Controllers will need to apply to fly on specific flights to identify a training objective. After the flight, controllers will submit a report to FAA explaining what they learned.
“The FAA has been testing the program and has already identified benefits, including helping controllers understand when they should refrain from issuing complex instructions and the impact that instructions such as changes in the landing runway can have on pilot workload,” FAA said in a statement.
The formal start of the program is set for after Thanksgiving.
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