FAA tees up $875M AI tool to help manage air traffic congestion

The FAA will launch an AI tool called SMART to advise air traffic controllers in the Washington, DC, area, beginning September 21. SMART uses AI models to forecast traffic flows and spot conflicts by factoring airline schedules, weather, airport capacity, and airspace conditions. The program is a pilot step toward a nationwide rollout across the 29 million-square-mile U.S. airspace.