Artificial Intelligence Applications in Aviation with the Example of San José International Airport
by Hatice SAĞLAM
The rapid development of technology, which has become indispensable in today’s world, and the need to provide feedback to meet societal demands, has become an increasingly important issue. At this point, have you ever thought about the concept of artificial intelligence (AI)? AI is a system that imitates human intelligence to perform specific tasks quickly and improves itself by renewing the information it collects. The most important feature that differentiates AI from today’s systems is its ability to mimic human intelligence. With this feature, AI has taken a leading position in many industries and companies.
What makes AI a leading force? It automates business processes, provides quick feedback, analyzes deep knowledge using multi-layered neural networks, presents analysis to ensure customer satisfaction, simplifies human life, reduces costs, and increases interaction. In this way, AI has found its place in aviation, which is rapidly growing and gaining momentum. While the role of technology in aviation is undeniable, the increasing globalization year by year has also made it necessary to address many needs.
When looking at potential applications of AI in the aviation industry, there are several useful processes, such as facial recognition using neural networks, fingerprint scanning, voice recognition, analysis, consulting, and planning using expert systems, turbulence analysis through machine learning, tracking the physical location of aircraft, reducing the workload at busy and crowded airports using robotic kiosks, and autonomous electric vacuum cleaners that independently choose the best route for cleaning.
AI applications, in this context, contribute to the development of the aviation industry by ensuring customer satisfaction, enabling data collection and analysis, identifying risks, and generating solutions to these risks. Now, let’s examine these in a concrete example.
San Jose Airport, an international airport in the United States, offers its customers an unforgettable experience. At gate numbers 11, 21, and 25 of the airport, three robots named Norma, Amelia, and Piper welcome customers as part of the customer service team. These robots run on Windows software and display information in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish on a 32-inch touch screen, eliminating communication barriers.
Did you lose your way? Don’t worry! The three customer service robots are ready to assist you. You can ask them for directions around the airport, get help finding which gate you’re at, or simply dance and take photos. You can also enter the traveler’s email address to send the photo to yourself.
Looking at the results from this example, artificial intelligence, big data, and rapidly advancing technology have a significant impact on the future of the aviation industry. Additionally, project works aimed at ensuring customer satisfaction continue to be crucial in aviation. Thus, it’s clear that customer experiences offered at airports—such as quick problem-solving and overcoming language barriers—play a key role in customer loyalty.
So, do these questions cross your mind as well?
- Could most of the workers in the aviation sector be replaced by AI robots in the future?
- What impact do AI robots have on the choice of an airport?
- Where should AI robots be used in aviation?
References
Çankaya, D. (2020). Havacılıkta Yaygınlaşan Yapay Zeka, API ve Büyük Veri Temelli Çözümler. Academic Perspective Procedia, 3(1), 465-473.
Artar, O., & Türkay, U. İ. (2021). Havacılık sektöründe havalimanlarının dijital dönüşümü. İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Dış Ticaret Enstitüsü Working Paper Series Dergisi, 2(1), 86-97.
Meriç, E. (2019). Yapay Zekâ Yöntemleriyle Havalimanlarında Personel Planlaması (Doctoral dissertation, Bursa Uludag University (Turkey)).
Pictures: oag.com
