Boeing's Aggressive A.I. Changes Linked to Deadly 737 Max Crashes

A new report from the New York Times has shed light on the bureaucratic mess surrounding the Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. The investigation reveals that the company introduced 'aggressive and riskier' changes to an A.I. system built for safety, which was later deemed responsible for the deadly crashes.

The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) was originally designed as a limited A.I. system that would only kick in when two sensors detected extreme wind resistance and force. However, Boeing expanded its use and made it more vulnerable to malfunctioning by removing one of the two sensors and increasing its control over the plane.

The changes were allegedly downplayed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and pilots flying the 737 Max were not adequately trained on how to handle the system when it misfired. The report suggests that a damaged sensor may have played a role in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, which occurred just five months after a similar disaster in Indonesia.

The Times' investigation highlights the over-reliance on and under-regulation of A.I. systems in aviation, rather than a simple software bug.