Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Department of Transportation has begun a $12 billion overhaul of the U.S. air traffic control system that will incorporate artificial intelligence to support controllers. Duffy said human controllers would remain in charge of managing the airspace.

"AI is a tool, but we do not replace humans in how we manage the airspace," Duffy said. "We have human beings navigating, managing the airspace, and as human beings, we can make mistakes. That's why I want to give additional tools to support the air traffic controllers."

According to Duffy, AI software will help air traffic controllers avoid delays by merging airline flight schedules with a Federal Aviation Administration system and recommending adjustments to flight times up to 45 days in advance by five to ten minutes. Congress still needs to fund the AI software, which has a possible price tag of $6 billion to $10 billion.

A deadly collision occurred at LaGuardia Airport in New York City last month involving apparent air traffic control mistakes. Asked whether AI would take over from controllers, he said the replacement of controllers by AI would not happen.

Through the Big Beautiful Bill last year, Congress gave the Department of Transportation $12.5 billion for air traffic control system upgrades. The department has replaced almost 50% of all copper wires and upgraded about 270 radio sites as part of the effort. New surface awareness systems have been installed at 54 airports to improve controllers' ability to track planes on the ground, and 17 towers have transitioned to electronic flight strips to track flights.