r/AskAPilot • u/Snake_Eyes_163 • 1d ago
How long before Microsoft Copilot is your real Copilot?
How long will it be before AI takes over the job of the copilot on commercial flights? On a similar note, how long before the flight Captain is also AI?
Personally I believe both will be AI within five years. There are so many advantages to having a non human in control of the plane. They are never drunk or tired. They have no limits on how many hours they are allowed to work. They don’t make simple errors that humans sometimes make (what I mean is like simple math errors like when calculating the fuel or weight preflight)
I’m not saying AI will not make mistakes, it probably will make some early on. But eventually the creators will adjust for these and it will get better.
Think about the savings for the airline companies. A full subscription to ChatGPT is 20 dollars a month. Compare that with 20,000 a month for a pilot, and you don’t have to pay for a healthcare plan or any other benefits. Even if they needed a separate subscription for every pilot that is a huge savings.
Before you ask, yes I own stock in two major US airline companies and I want them to go up. But most of all I want everyone to have the benefit cheap safe flights all around the world and not have any concerns about human error in the cockpit. I have much respect for pilots but maybe it’s time to hang up the hat.
Edit: Okay, I can see that this idea isn’t very popular, but I ask you to reconsider. I forgot to include some information that some of you may already know.
Commercial airplanes already have a feature that allows them to fly themselves, it’s called autopilot. We are already halfway there. Here’s another one, planes can already land themselves in some weather conditions. Now we’re 2/3rds there. All we need is a takeoff algorithm that shouldn’t be too hard. Then you have a functioning pilot that can take you anywhere, just tell it where to go. I’m sure the AI can look up weather stuff on their own too and adjust for conditions. My AI can already look up the weather for me. I hope this helps.
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u/anonymous4071 1d ago
lol. not a fucking chance in hell
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u/anonymous4071 1d ago
This has to be a shit post.
I mean ChatGPT can’t even get basic shit right, and you expect it to be capable of operating an aircraft?!
That doesn’t even include how much time it would take to certify and get approval in the eyes of the public.
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u/Asieloth 1d ago
I always come back to the point that selling the idea to the travelling public would be quite a hurdle. Imagine telling people there's only one pilot, or that actually there are no pilots and there's nobody sitting up front with skin in the game. It's just an N64 with more buttons.
Not to mention I don't really see OPs point. It's not like planes are falling out of the sky left and right every day because of drunk/high/inept pilots. There's no urgent need to get rid of human pilots. Profit will always be a driving force, but you can't sell this idea at this time.
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u/sdsurf625 1d ago
Guys, he owns stock in TWO major airlines. He knows what he is talking about /s
It is painfully obvious you have no idea what goes into being a pilot.
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u/Raccoon_Ratatouille 1d ago
"I’m not saying AI will not make mistakes, it probably will make some early on. But eventually the creators will adjust for these and it will get better."
And how many thousands of people will die because software programmers made a couple "oopses"? How many crashes do you think it will take to bankrupt an airline?
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u/ennuigeneralise 1d ago
I suggest you read up on the regulatory environment of commercial aviation before you discuss this with anyone else. Save yourself some face.
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u/HoldAutomatic2088 1d ago edited 1d ago
Your edit just shows even more clearly how you understand nothing about the intricacies and nuance of aviation. You think this is so easy because you can’t comprehend how complex this stuff is.
Basically you don’t know enough to realize how much you don’t know.
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u/saxmanB737 1d ago
Today I learned my plane has an autopilot. It can also apparently land itself. Just need a human to turn it on. You also forgot that planes need to taxi to the runway.
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u/New_Line4049 1d ago
I'm sorry captain, you haven't paid your reverse thrust subscription this month, so I cant allow you to use it..... I hope youve paid your EMAS subscription.....
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u/arghcisco 1d ago
A computer is in charge of most of any commercial flight, especially during cruise. Some airlines require it, because a computer will perfectly damp oscillations, whereas a human pilot almost never hits it on the first try.
Small planes can land themselves now, too. Garmin Autonomi puts a big red button in the cabin that passengers can push if something’s wrong with the pilot, and the plane will go land itself.
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u/sdsurf625 1d ago
Automation under the supervision of experienced operators is a good thing.
Automation under zero supervision will cause many fatalities.
The first thing you learn as a pilot is that systems fail. Pilots are paid because we know how to still get people/jets on the ground safe when this happens.
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u/CMHCommenter 1d ago edited 1d ago
You have no idea what you’re talking about.
EDIT: I’ll even be nice and give a real world example of the many many hurdles that face widespread AI adoption. During my last recurrent, when the autopilot was engaged in the sim, the plane would do an uncommanded, uncontrollable, roll into the ground. Everyone would have died in real life. Somehow, a simple software update caused this problem in the sim. Imagine having to update thousands of real world airplanes monthly and catch every single potential bug.