I’m not sure if this has been discussed before, but do you think Infinite Flight will use AI for ATC in the future? Is that something we can expect down the line? Just imagine having active ATC at every airport, 24/7![]()
I highly doubt it.
Yeah, I doubt it. Part of what makes ATC in Infinite Flight special is that it’s actual people controlling it, not bots. The unpredictability, different controlling styles, human judgement, and even the small interactions make it feel far more alive and realistic. AI ATC might work for empty airports or basic coverage, but replacing human controllers would honestly remove a huge part of what makes Expert Server unique in the first place.
Yeah, that makes sense.
I think it would be great for airports that are not controlled by real people or for all airspace’s around the world in IF it will add more realism don’t you think?
It would be cool, but probably unlikely for now. AI ATC is way more complicated than people think. It’s not just “clear for takeoff” and “contact departure”. It would need to understand traffic spacing, sequencing, runway changes, go-arounds, altitude restrictions, taxi instructions, and dozens of pilots all doing different things at once, if it where to be brought to multiplayer.
I’d imagine solo could be a bit easier but then again, training AI isn’t simple. It would probably take a huge amount of development time and resources to get right.
I think the human ATC aspect is also one of the best parts of Infinite Flight. Having real people controlling airports makes the sim feel alive (for me).
But it would be a really cool feature.
Actually, human ATCs is one of the best thing in IF. Human ATCs can understand real life perspectives and situations better than any AI. I agree that AI can help with basic clearances but those high traffic hub airports where you also find some pilots that don’t follow your instructions, AI Atcs can’t handle that. ATC-Pilot interaction feels way more better when there are humans on both sides.
That is a superb point to be honest, very insightful.
I believe that, with modern technology, it is possible to build an AI tower. We have driverless cars that adapt to complex road conditions, of course we could also have Controllerless airports.
However, the aviation industry doesn’t introduce AI because it perishes safety above everything. Aviation has very small tolerance for errors but AIs are good at making them. There is still a long way to go.
After all, who doesn’t like a real controller who optimises efficiency in complicated situations, and who waves goodbye to you with “Thank you, good day” after a flight?
No thanks… i like having water to drink ![]()
But at least I would suggest AI ATIS at uncontrolled airports, giving specific runways for landing and departures. This way it could be prevented, that pilots choose opposing runway directions at the same time.
And a timer could prevent the AI from changing directions every 5 minutes, if winds are blowing 3kts back and forth.
But having a working ATIS on every uncontrolled airport would be nice and convenient.
As mention already: what an insightful idea! ![]()
There are, as already highlighted two sides of this:
One of IF’s biggest attraction is the live features, fly with many pilots and controllers, and somehow you know you’re dealing with real people. There’s just something cool about this.
But, as we can see today again, since IFATC’s keep clinging to the obvious airports because there’re more interested in ops, rather than serving pilots and the schedule which is so beautifully put together each month, maybe AI could support with the 'less popular airports…
That’s exactly what I had in mind.
Going to push back on this on behalf of the team. The vast majority of our controllers aren’t chasing ops, but rather opportunities to serve heavier traffic volumes that provide a challenge/experience absent at dead airports. Nothing wrong with this, just as pilots are free to choose flights into the hub instead of those diverse destinations. I’m sure you’re aware of this as a former leadership member but the never-ending cycle is the issue, not “op-chasing” IFATCs. ![]()
AI ATC certainly has logistical challenges. However, I do think it’d be cool to see it as an option for uncontrolled airports so that pilots have some semblance of ATC communication during their flight.
Many people will dropped their membership
I would love to see this. I actually thinked about it a lot and it would be really cool
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Why? We would still have events and human ATC.
damn they coming for our jobs ![]()
Yes, I hope every airport has round-the-clock ATC coverage, but not AI ATC—it would make the game feel really dull. That said, I think there’s a solid middle ground: keep human controllers as the primary option, and deploy AI ATC only at airports that rarely have any human coverage for long stretches of time.
They would? How come?
I can definitely see a mix of AI and human ATC in the distant future development of the sim!
