FAA to clarify its automation approach in forthcoming framework document

The Air Current
Elan Head
13 August 2025

Agency doesn’t assume full autonomy is inevitable or that automation is always safer

The Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to release an Automation Framework that spells out the principles, categories and definitions it is using for the approval of all types of aircraft with highly automated systems, establishing a key reference for its engagements with developers of these technologies.

Senior FAA technical officials previewed the framework at an artificial intelligence technical exchange meeting hosted by the Mitre Corporation last week — the same event series where the FAA last year previewed its more targeted Roadmap for AI Safety Assurance. Despite the venue, Kathy Abbott, the FAA’s chief scientific and technical advisor for flight deck human factors, made it clear that the agency does not view automation as synonymous with AI, and the framework applies to all types of automation technologies...

FAA to clarify its automation approach in forthcoming framework document - The Air Current