Enhancing General Aviation Safety: the Integration of Generative AI in Preflight Weather Planning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) permeates daily life and industries through enhanced machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. Generative AI, a significant advancement, mimics human-like text and makes data-driven decisions, particularly in generative AI applications. Exploring novel AI applications is crucial, such as using generative AI to aid General Aviation (GA) pilots in preflight weather planning, with the aim to enhance pilots’ awareness and reduce weather-related accidents. However, the rapid evolution of generative AI raises many concerns like volatility, security risks, and decision-making biases. Preflight weather planning is vital in aviation, with weather-related incidents comprising a significant portion of accidents. Despite advancements, GA pilots’ interpretation of weather information remains subpar. This paper examines how generative AI may have potential to assist GA pilots to perform preflight weather planning, while also addressing risks and suggesting ethical research directions.