The term “artificial intelligence” (AI) can foster both curiosity and apprehension, but no one can deny the already substantial impact AI has on our world. Successful business aviation professionals and organizations need to consider how to leverage its benefits.
“AI is a force multiplier for the volume of work you can do throughout the day,” said Clayton Corn, CAM, founder and president of Scissortail Aviation Advisors. “It’s like having an army of assistants to help you determine which rabbit hole to go down.
“While AI cannot replace the experts at this juncture,” he added, “what it can do is help you be more productive.”
Tom Lelyo, co-owner of AvSales Talent LLC, uses AI to automate day-to-day tasks and as a kind of personal assistant that gets better at its job with every interaction.
“I can’t do everything I want to do without somebody helping do a lot of the lifting,” he said. “But it’s like learning to play the piano. You can’t just bang on the keys; you need discipline to learn the rules of the piano.”
“AI allows us to move faster, see opportunities sooner and operate with far greater efficiency.”
Toni Drummond Founder of Future Flight Global and Managing Partner at Prestige Air Group
“The old ways don’t scale into the future,” added Toni Drummond, founder of Future Flight Global and managing partner at Prestige Air Group. “Demand is increasing, complexity is increasing and margins for error are shrinking. AI allows us to move faster, see opportunities sooner and operate with far greater efficiency.”
Drummond noted that Prestige is developing an intelligent flight-risk assessment tool (FRAT) that integrates AI data to provide a more complete operational picture.
“Layering in predictive maintenance, continuous data monitoring and a strong safety culture provides us with a deeper layer of information that keeps us tethered to a safer operation, which is always the north star,” she said.
Corn recently worked with a business aircraft operator using AI in preflight planning. “It was able to flag something that maybe the pilot didn’t see and throw up the red flag: ‘Hey, have you checked on this?’” he said. “That is a great, useful tool for enhancing safety.”
To those who may fear the implications of AI, “it is not a threat to your top producers or to what your company does best,” Lelyo said. “What it can do is manage those things you may not do as well as your core competencies.
“AI helps supercharge your superpowers,” he concluded. “It offers capabilities that can either grow your business, or provide you with more freedom in your life.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.