Learning to fly airplanes -- and aviation is starting to embrace it

Learning to fly airplanes is becoming more feasible as aviation embraces AI, a shift demonstrated in a Rhode Island test with Merlin Labs. A Cessna Caravan, with the pilot in the right seat, shows hands-off control as the Merlin Pilot system guides takeoff and turns using a natural language interface. The system listens to instructions from a mock air traffic controller and responds over the radio with a synthetic female voice. When the test pilot authorizes a maneuver, the aircraft begins turning, illustrating how AI could handle routine flight tasks or even autonomous operations. The test comes amid a global pilot shortage, with Boeing forecasting more than 600,000 new pilots needed over the next two decades. In Washington, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has touted AI tools to modernize air traffic control while insisting human controllers retain oversight. Merlin argues that AI could reduce accidents caused by human error, a claim that highlights potential safety gains even as regulators weigh the implications. Industry watchers note that automation has evolved for decades, and AI in the cockpit would mark the next step in augmenting, not replacing, human pilots.