How artificial intelligence is changing the future of air transportation

A George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science professor is working on an interdisciplinary research project funded by NASA that aims to design and develop a safety management system for electric autonomous aircraft. Peng Wei, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, researches control, optimization, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) in air transportation and aviation. His lab builds flight deck and ground-based automation and decision support tools to improve and ensure safety for emerging aircraft types and flight operations. While a lot of the innovation in AI and machine learning applications has been focused on revolutionizing the internet and digital connectivity, Dr. Wei is part of a group of researchers focused on expanding those benefits into transforming air transportation for physical connectivity and future mobility. Dr. Wei is the principal investigator of a new three-year, $2.5 million NASA System-Wide Safety grant project.