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Comment and Technology

Why pilots are worried about plans to replace co-pilots with AI

A cost-cutting initiative in the world of passenger aviation could see flight-deck staff reduced to just a captain, with their co-pilot replaced by AI. It may save money, but it's a risk too far, argues Paul Marks

By Paul Marks

2 April 2025

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Adrià Voltà

A dangerous idea is stalking the world of passenger aviation: that of halving, sometime in the 2030s, the number of pilots at the helm of civilian airliners and filling the vacant seats with AI – a move experts say could make flying far less safe. Instead of a captain and co-pilot on the flight deck, as big jets have today, Single Pilot Operations (SPOs) will have just one pilot alongside an AI somehow designed to undertake the tough, safety-critical role of co-piloting.

This, airlines argue, will address a pilot shortage that has become economically debilitating for the industry. But SPO…

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