About whether AI could replace human airline pilots, after a test of Claude flying a plane.
Has this happened?
Yes 6 (6%)Not sure 32 (31%)No 66 (63%)
Votes cast 1–2 October 2026: 100,590 votes from 9,694 people.
Hacker News has set AI a lot of challenges over the years. Which ones has it met?
About whether AI could replace human airline pilots, after a test of Claude flying a plane.
Votes cast 1–2 October 2026: 100,590 votes from 9,694 people.
There are soooo many pilot decisions that AI is nowhere near making. Managing a flight is more than flying. It is about making safety decisions during crisis, from deciding when to abort an approach to deciding when to eject a passenger. Sure, someone on the ground could make many of those decisions, but i prefer such things be decided by someone with literal skin in the game, not a beancounter or lawyer in an office