Editor’s Note: In addition to tracking technological developments, the author is also a music composer (Julliard graduate) and has kindly provided a musical piece for you to listen to while reading this column: “Lotta Ways to Travel.”
This is my third column on “Transportation Technology.” In the previous two, I talked about the impact of AI on autonomous transportation, both vehicular and human-powered. In this column, I look at the impact on larger transportation systems like planes, trains, and ships, and their integration with healthcare delivery. AI is already having a huge impact on these large systems, which are already pretty smart, and are becoming more intelligent every day.
Thirty years ago, I flew a single-engine Cessna 172. Nobody had GPS, many small airports didn’t have control towers, and many aircraft followed VFR (visual flight rules). These small planes carried 2-6 passengers. Many planes had no instruments. When you left a small town, you weren’t sure if you could return and land at the same airport because the fog could roll in (I lived on the California coast). Sometimes you had to land somewhere you could see, and then figure out how to get the rest of the way back. Then you’d come back the next day to get your plane. These small planes could only fly a few hundred miles at most.
Today’s large aircraft can carry 200-800 passengers and fly thousands of miles. The technology that assists today’s pilots is so powerful that these large aircraft can virtually land automatically, even in fog, and have a pilot in the cockpit take over if necessary.
Equipped with AI technology, new smart planes will bring many benefits to the flying experience, including improved safety, better decision-making, and better real-time risk assessment, while also optimizing flight paths and reducing pilot workload.
However, concerns are emerging regarding automated decision-making in crisis situations. We’ve all heard the statistics that flying is safer than driving, but when a system failure occurs, it’s much more serious than a minor collision. Over-reliance on AI systems could lead to a decline in pilot skills. Flying is now very complex, increasing cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could be hacked.
Airplanes have become incredibly complex systems. Howard Lieberman created this image with the help of DALLE-3, an AI software program.
Smart trains also have their pros and cons. In theory, they improve safety and collision avoidance, increase energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact, optimize schedules, and increase punctuality. But they also raise several other issues, including high implementation costs, infrastructure challenges, cybersecurity risks, potential system-wide disruptions, job losses, and the need to reskill employees.
Even our trains are complex, interdependent systems. Howard Lieberman created this image with the help of DALLE-3, an AI software program.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for humans to effectively handle the trade-offs that these highly complex systems demand. To run these systems, we are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence. It is not yet clear whether this situation is entirely beneficial for humanity, but we seem to be “in favor” of it.
The majority of the goods we consume are transported by ship. We now live in a global economy connected by ships that are becoming increasingly smart. Some of the same trade-offs mentioned above are also happening in the shipping industry. These ships do not carry many passengers, but there are still consequences to consider along with the benefits.
They enable enhanced navigation and collision avoidance in complex marine environments, while also increasing fuel efficiency, reducing emissions, optimizing cargo management and improving port operations.They also recognize cybersecurity vulnerabilities in connected maritime systems, regulatory challenges, adaptation of international maritime law, and the potential for reduced crew numbers and associated safety concerns.
There is even talk of integrating health care and transportation services, promoting telemedicine and transportation simultaneously. These interdependent services may save lives, but they come at the cost of reducing our freedom and independence.
A medical train with a portable operating room? Howard Lieberman created this image with the help of the AI software program DALLE-3.
These positive and negative aspects will affect the entire population of the planet. These questions are not easy to answer. But they are too crucial for the general public to be excluded from the search for solutions. We need to build mechanisms and decision-making processes to address these issues collectively. The general public needs to be educated about these issues and be able to voice their opinions on preferred solutions. Unfortunately, so far, progress in public engagement has not kept pace with the application of technology.
