The National Union of Air Line Pilots (SNPL) expressed concern Tuesday about plans by aircraft manufacturers to further automate planes with artificial intelligence, which could eventually replace one of the two pilots on board.
The president of the SNPL, which federates three-quarters of French pilots, vilified during a press teleconference "a kind of crazy dream of engineers who dream of creating the perfect computer that could replace a human pilot". "We are sounding an alert on this project!" added Karine Gély. "We are convinced that the computer or any artificial intelligence whatsoever is totally incapable of handling the unpredictable or highly improbable," continued Karine Gély. With two in the cockpit, "we are able to develop action plans, flight strategies. And we also know that we are much stronger and much more efficient as a crew than if we were alone at the controls, "she said.
In addition to the problems of fatigue if there was only one pilot left in the plane, the SNPL recalls the importance of the "crosscheck", the crosscheck, two: "One pilot checks what the other is doing, checks what the plane is doing, etc." "The human is fallible, the human makes mistakes. It's true, it's absolutely true, we all do it. But (...) automatisms are also fallible, as sophisticated as they are," said Fanny Aronssohn, spokesperson for the SNPL. "We are quite satisfied with the technology and automation, which makes our lives easier every day and increases safety. But automation and embedded technology are only complementary to humans. We need to be together, (...) it cannot replace the human," she added.
Airbus singled out
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus, particularly blamed by the SNPL, said that "We believe that pilots will remain at the heart of operations in the future and that automation can help them by reducing their workload in the cockpit, improving flight operations and overall aircraft performance." The group says it wants above all to "increase flight safety and operational efficiency of airlines", in collaboration with certification authorities and these companies.
Studies, which "aim to improve the management of crew fatigue on long-haul flights and allow them to better organize their presence in the cockpit during cruise phases through additional automated functions," assume that there are at least two pilots on board, said a spokesman for the aircraft manufacturer. As for research into single-pilot operations without compromising safety, there are several projects but not all of them will necessarily materialize, according to Airbus.
For his part, the director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), federating a large majority of global airlines, said he was doubtful about the possibility of seeing such aircraft appear in the medium term. "Personally, I don't see" this happening, Walsh told a news conference on the sidelines of the IATA congress in Istanbul. "The reason I say this is that the aircraft that are in service today and that are being delivered will remain in service for 20 or 25 years," and will not be equipped to operate with a single pilot. "Honestly, I don't see that happening in my lifetime," added Willie Walsh, 61.
