# Air traffic controller warns AI system could cause disaster

> A veteran controller fears the new SMART system could hallucinate data and endanger flights at America's busiest airports.
- Title: Air traffic controller warns AI system could cause disaster
- Summary: A veteran controller fears the new SMART system could hallucinate data and endanger flights at America's busiest airports. AI air traffic control needs…
- Keywords: air traffic control, artificial intelligence, smart system, aviation safety, todd sheridan yeary, faa, airport operations, ai hallucination, dc metro airports, flight safety, technology deployment, science
- Source: Futurism — https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/air-traffic-control-terrified-ai-smart-system-hallucination-catastrophe
- Author: Joe Wilkins
- Published: 2026-09-22T20:16:41+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: air traffic control, artificial intelligence, smart system, aviation safety, todd sheridan yeary, faa, airport operations, ai hallucination, dc metro airports, flight safety, technology deployment, science
## New AI system coming to busy airports
The US government is deploying SMART, an AI air traffic control system, across some of the nation's busiest airports despite major safety concerns.
## Nobody knows what this tool actually does
A 13-year air traffic control veteran says the aviation community still doesn't understand whether SMART will predict conflicts or replace human decisions entirely.

> The first that comes to mind is, what is the tool going to be used for?
## Air traffic control is too dynamic for AI
Conditions at airports change constantly, so feeding data into an AI system and expecting it to remain accurate is fundamentally flawed, Yeary warns.

> You cannot just put data in and expect that that data is still going to be good.
## AI hallucination is the biggest risk
Yeary's main concern is that AI can generate false data and information. Controllers need the ability to override the system when it produces inaccurate guidance.

> AI has been known to produce data and information that is not accurate and not verified.
## Testing should happen in simulators first
Yeary says deploying SMART anywhere except a simulator is a mistake. Real-world testing at DC area airports is premature without extensive scenario testing.

> Anything other than a simulator to roll this out is a problem.
## System fails just as AI rollout begins
A major telecom failure near Philadelphia caused hundreds of flight delays across the east coast, raising questions about whether overworked air traffic control can handle an experimental AI system.
## Key takeaway

AI air traffic control needs extensive simulator testing before real-world deployment, not rushed rollouts at major hubs.