POV: Forever that acronym will be etched in my memory as P rivately O wned V ehicle of government expense report fame, but today it has gained social media popularity as P oint o f V iew. Today I’ll stick to the latter.
Depending on your POV, Artificial Intelligence, herein AI, is either a panacea fueling aerospace growth, or is a harbinger of the apocalypse. I’ll stick to the former.
As many of you know if you have been following my posts for any length of time, I fancy myself an unofficial historian for all things of significance contributing to aerospace and its aftermarket, and as it is, AI is shaping up to be worthy of such recognition.
In this article we’ll review the following:
WHAT IS AI? AI CONCEPTS DU JOUR AI APPLICATIONS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN AFTERMARKET CURRENT USE BY AIRLINES WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN THE NEAR FUTURE WHAT IS AI:
There is a myriad of definitions for AI, but I found a simple basis from an aerospace source, NASA1
Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform complex tasks normally done by human-reasoning, decision making, creating, etc.
Any artificial system that performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight, or that can learn from experience and improve performance when exposed to data sets. An artificial system developed in computer software, physical hardware, or other context that solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication, or physical action. An artificial system designed to think or act like a human, including cognitive architectures and neural networks. A set of techniques, including machine learning that is designed to approximate a cognitive task. An artificial system designed to act rationally, including an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communicating, decision-making, and acting. AI CONCEPTS DU JOUR
Machine Learning : A basic building block of most other forms of AI, these systems learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed by a human. The software is enabled by algorithms that identify patterns, make decisions or predict outcomes based on the data input2 Generative AI or GenAI : Generative AI can be thought of as a machine-learning model that is trained to create new data, rather than making a prediction about a specific dataset. A generative AI system is one that learns to generate more objects that look like the data it was trained on5 AI APPLICATIONS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN AFTERMARKET:
Incorporate AI Tools Into Your Quality Management System. According to simpleQuE, “AI tools can significantly enhance implementation and compliance by improving documentation management, performance analysis, internal audits, and corrective action tracking .”6 For devotees of Quality, if there is one article in the many links referenced herein, this is must-read . Author Jim Lee gives simple and practical advice on how to integrate AI into your Quality Management System based on the firm’s Maturity Level. Inventory Control: The issue of how many spare parts to have in inventory is a subject that generates considerable heated debate among operators and their suppliers. Add variables such as pooling, exchanges, aging or changing fleet sizes, obsolescence, ADs/SBs, and finance pressures, and the topic gets mired, quickly. These all equate to thousands upon thousands of data points screaming for AI analysis and intervention. Legacy EOQ (Economic Order Quantity) and IP (Initial Provisioning) models simple don’t work neatly in this dynamic operations world. There’s a plethora of AI based programs available on the market, but before you engage any one of these, make sure they have AI capability for: Demand Forecasting Inventory Optimization Real-time Data Analysis Automated Replenishment Supplier Management Predictive Analytics Safeguarding parts against fake or improper paperwork : A company called Alitheon is using an AI based program called FeaturePrint which applies optical AI to create unique digital fingerprints using standard industrial cameras or mobile phones. This will augment elements such as removal tags, QR Codes, and paperwork to trace part history and authenticity. GA Telesis plans to integrate FeaturePrint into its Wilbur parts provenance and records platform4 MRO : A GenAI tool, Charlie, aims to improve processes by quickly finding part numbers within reams of documentation and thereby speeding up the replacement process – good for the airline’s punctuality stats (read that delays and cancellations)3 Predictive Maintenance . A very good primer on this esoteric topic can be found in an earlier article titled “AIRCRAFT BIG DATA, ANALYTICS, AND THE AFTERMARKET .” Here’s the link: https://www.aviationsuppliers.org/AIRCRAFT-BIG-DATA-ANALYTICS-AND-THE-AFTERMARKET
CURRENT AI USES BY AIRLINES:
In addition to Predictive Maintenance, the airlines also are implementing these programs.
Pricing: If there is any aspect of running an airline that commands continuous attention and refinement it is that of pricing. For every flight and every seat, the price is being adjusted in real time based on classic supply and demand models and there are endless variations. This would seem like a good fit for AI and GenAI in particular. Currently there are eight airlines experimenting with GenAI with a program fielded by a company called Fetcherr. Their first US customer is Delta Airlines who said, ‘The initial results show amazingly favorable unit revenues versus the beta…We’re all in on this .3 Operations: During my airline experience my world was effected by the continuous decisions being made in the Airline Operations Center (AOC) and the Maintenance Operations Center). The AOC in particular sees minute by minute challenges 24/7 in running operations. For example, consider a major airline with over 2000 flights a day being affected by weather, aircraft problems, delays and cancellations, crew positioning, equipment and system outages, and Air Traffic Control issues among many others. The AOC must address all these, continuously, and so appears to be a good candidate for GenAI. Fetcherr’s Jetstream uses GenAI in its product being implemented by EasyJet in its AOC called the Integrated Control Center which commands over 2000 daily flights and is staffed by 250 specialists 24/7. According to EasyJet the GenAI tool gives their team ‘instant access to policies, procedures, and information which will enable them to solve operational issues as they occur .’3 Maximize Ancillary Revenue : Ancillary Revenue are those pesky charges we’re made to pay as passengers in addition to the basic seat price, which includes luggage, food, beverages, airline credit cards, inflight Wi-Fi, catalog product purchases, and the like. AI is being used in the marketing and price optimization effort. Cyber Security : Cyber-attacks on airline networks is a constant worry, and airlines are using AI to safeguard their operations. For example, AirBaltic says it deploys multiple integrated AI tools to continuously monitor its network allowing it to identify and respond to potential threats in real time.3 WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
Applications in Autonomy :It should come as no surprise that much of AI in civilian use found its genesis in the Research and Development labs of DoD entities. If you read any trade journals such as Aviation Week & Space Technology, or any of the aviation news outlets, keep abreast of what the military is doing for its collateral, trickle-down effect on the civilian side. The topic of ‘autonomy’ is of particular interest to me… autonomy being loosely defined as an application to a system such that it can perform its task without active continuous human intervention. Why should this be interesting? o Today we’re on the cusp of launching eVTOL operations. It’s my opinion that eVTOL for the use of ferrying passengers will not be as profitable as hoped for since most emerging models are piloted. On the other hand, if those same flights from point A to point B were autonomous, un-piloted, the business model profitability equation changes significantly. It wasn’t too long ago that all elevators and trains were operated by humans, but today we take the automation for granted. Why not eVTOL flights? Royboy: It will happen here first . The military has been conducting safe and autonomous flights for years, albeit with no passengers, but the technology exists and is evolving. The poster child for this is the RQ-4 Global Hawk and its offshoot the MQ-4C Triton. Look for autonomy to be fielded for cargo operations. If it works successfully in cargo operations, look for the technology to be applied to commercial cockpits. Commercial Cockpits and Air Traffic Control :In the Business Jet world, jet aircraft have already been certificated for single pilot operations, and single pilot cargo operations, for example using Textron Caravans, have been routine for years. But what about commercial size aircraft? This implies airline operations. For Part 135 sized operations, single pilot operations carrying passengers have also been routine for years. Manufacturers have been quietly urged by their airline customers to look at single pilot operations in their new designs. Why quietly? Because if known, their pilot unions will predictively resort to sanctimonious platitudes of ‘safety’ in an effort to protect their dues base of income. Nonetheless, it is Royboy’s opinion that single pilot operation will first occur for cargo flights for transport category aircraft, then onto passenger flights . Also, this will lead to autonomous passenger flights in this millennium for transport category aircraft. After the recent DCA accident of the Army Helicopter and Airliner midair collision, many asked, “how could this happen? In ATC recordings for the controller, the automated warning of the pending collision could be heard. How old is that technology? There is already talk about the need to update ATC systems and AI will Quantum computing affecting AI : It’s no secret that AI has some teething pains in the way of limitations. According to Ahmet Erdemir, “AI methods are currently limited by the ability of classical computers to process complex data. Quantum computing can potentially enhance AI’s capabilities by removing the limitations of data size, complexity, and speed of problem solving .”7
Dilbert:
Dare I say it? This article was written without the use of AI generated content.
Over ‘n out
Roy ‘Royboy’ Resto
www.AimSolutionsConsulting.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/royresto/
1 https://www.nasa.gov/what-is-artificial-intelligence/
2 The State of AI ; Aviation Week & Space Technology; January 13-26, 2025; Page 40.
3 Generative AI ‘Super Analyst’ May Change How Airlines Set Prices ; Aviation Week & Space Technology; January 13-26, 2025; Page 46.
4 MRO Industry Expands Potential AI Use Cases ; Aviation Week & Space Technology; January 13-26, 2025; Page 51.
5 https://news.mit.edu/2023/explained-generative-ai-1109
6 https://www.simpleque.com/how-to-incorporate-ai-tools-into-your-quality-management-system/
7 https://www.lerner.ccf.org/news/article/?title=+How+quantum+computing+will+affect+artificial+intelligence+applications+in+healthcare+&id=79c89a1fcb93c39e8321c3313ded4b84005e9d44
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