Boeing Co is using artificial intelligence to identify potential hazards in its aircraft and airline operations, as it tries to bolster its safety culture following two fatal 737 Max crashes. The company has created a safety analytics tool that uses advanced mathematical models and machine learning to identify and mitigate risks before they lead to accidents, injury, or loss of life.
Data analysis is at the heart of Delaney's effort, as it could influence how Boeing designs its cockpits and how airlines train their pilots. Boeing released an annual update on its safety practices on Wednesday and has started using the new data tools to study runway overruns, landing mishaps that can lead to close calls with other aircraft.
Boeing is using a machine-learning algorithm to scan and mine data from the so-called “Service Difficulty Reports” for worrisome risks emerging within the global fleet.
The safety team is tracking 20 key performance measures on a weekly basis that are closely correlated to safety risks in designing, building, or operating its aircraft, and can drill down and look for patterns and contributing factors behind “escapes”, Boeing parlance for defective parts not made to its specifications. The goal is not just to find the proverbial needle in a haystack, but to find all sharp objects in the haystack.