'Remake our airspace': Trump transportation chief says Musk team tweaking air traffic control

05 February

Employees of centabillionaire tech CEO Elon Musk are now making their way into air traffic control towers, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Politico is reporting that Duffy, who was confirmed to lead the Department of Transportation last week, is now welcoming representatives of Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" (which is not yet a Congressionally authorized department) into his agency to "upgrade" air traffic control systems. While he didn't immediately offer specifics, Duffy praised Musk's employees as "the best engineers in the world."

"We’re gonna remake our airspace,” Duffy said. “And we’re gonna do it quickly, and we have the support of the Congress, I think right now, to say, you know what, we’re using like 1960s, World War II technology in much of the components of the airspace. We’re gonna upgrade it.”

It's not yet known exactly how Musk's engineers would revamp air traffic control systems, though it's possible their efforts could involve artificial intelligence (AI). Tech news outlet 404 Media reported Tuesday that Thomas Shedd — who now runs the Technology Transformation Services (TTS) office within the General Services Administration — called on TTS to find ways to incorporate AI throughout all federal agencies.

"We want to start implementing more AI at the agency level and be an example for how other agencies can start leveraging AI," Shedd said, according to leaked audio obtained by 404 Media. "That’s one example of something that we’re looking for people to work on."

According to the outlet, there have been significant delays over the years in replacing dated equipment air traffic controllers rely on. While controllers have typically used radar technology to monitor air traffic, new satellite-based systems have yet to be implemented due to cost overruns. Duffy added that he plans to have a "surge" of new hiring for air traffic controllers, though he cautioned that training new controllers takes a long time and is not like "flippin' a switch."

His remarks come on the heels of the deadly mid-air collision near the Washington D.C. National Airport last Wednesday, in which American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed into a U.S. Army helicopter conducting a drill, killing 67 people. Additionally, seven people were killed last week after a small LearJet crashed near the Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both crashes.

Click here to read Politico's full report.

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