S12E7: Would You Fly With an AI Pilot? | AI, Trust, and Aviation Futures

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In this episode, host Chris Lamont is joined by Christoph Regli, Swiss Air Force drone pilot, commercial airline pilot, and aviation scholar, to explore one of the most unsettling questions in civil aviation governance: would you trust an aircraft with no human pilot on board?

Drawing on his experience as a pilot, engineer, regulator, and researcher, Regli unpacks the regulatory, technical, and societal challenges of introducing AI pilots into the cockpit. The conversation moves beyond technology to examine trust, certification versus licensing, human versus machine judgment, and why aviation regulation, which is “written in blood,” poses unique obstacles to autonomous flight.

From sensor reliability and explainability to accountability, social acceptance, and the future of pilot training, this episode offers a rare insider perspective on why fully autonomous commercial aviation remains elusive and what would need to change before society is ready to board.


Links:

• On Automation of Flight Training of AI Pilots: A Formal Language to Particularize Flight Instruction Scenarios
• Could AI make flying more dangerous? | Christoph Regli | TEDxZHAW

This episode is part of a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 25K04983 project “Global Governance of Civil Aviation in the Indo-Pacific” 2025-2027