Tim Clark, president of Emirates, says that in the long run “we may” see single-pilot aircraft.
Tobias Schwarz | AFP | Getty’s paintings
According to Emirates CEO Tim Clark, because the aviation sector begins to embrace artificial intelligence, the opportunity of flying single-pilot aircraft is feasible.
“You might see a single-pilot plane,” Clark of CNBC’s Hadley Gamble told CNBC on Tuesday, but said it could probably take a while to materialize – and it won’t necessarily be what passengers want.
“[Passengers] I prefer to think there are two pilots there,” he added.
With the size and power of AI growing rapidly, it is vital for the aerospace sector to take a step back and evaluate the difference it might make, Clark said, adding: “Use it, use it. Don’t be afraid of it.”
“A number of people worry about what AI should and should not do … but when you run a business and you’ve gotten something as powerful as this and also you’re very process oriented, manpower intensive, you will have to spend a while, to have a look at what it might do to enhance what you do,” he said.
Referring to completely unmanned aircraft, Clark said it was possible but very distant, adding that he didn’t think it could occur in his lifetime.
“Can a plane fly fully automated? Yes, perhaps, the technology is high now, [but] for my part there’ll all the time be someone on the plane,” added Clark.
The marketplace for autonomous aircraft is currently in its infancy, although several start-ups are focused on developing pilotless aircraft for the long run.
