Google and UK Government Team Up on Contrail-Reducing AI Project

A £5 million trial is underway to explore whether AI can help reduce or remove contrails from aircraft. Contrails, also known as vapour trails, appear when exhaust from engines hits cold high-altitude air and create ice crystals, contributing to climate change.

The project, called Operation Blue Skies, involves Google, the UK government, NATS (National Air Traffic Services), the University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London. Google is providing AI models, machine learning, and satellite imaging, valued at £1.4 million, while NATS oversees airspace and safety assessments.

The goal of Operation Blue Skies is to reduce contrails from aircraft traveling from Europe to the USA and Canada by diverting them around areas of particularly cold air. The project will observe 10,000 flights over two operational trials, with some given slight deviations to reduce travel through 'contrail-sensitive airspace.'

Google's contribution includes using AI to learn from gathered data and build a picture of how contrails are formed over the North Atlantic. Dr. Paul Hodgson, Google's technical lead for the operation, said that contrail warming is responsible for around 33% of all aviation climate warming.