The Federal Aviation Administration is grappling with a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers. While the causes of this shortage vary, the government has made clear it is actively seeking innovative ways to address the problem. Among the proposed solutions is an $875 million AI software initiative aimed at helping air traffic controllers manage their workloads and navigate flight paths more safely.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the FAA is preparing to roll out Smart—short for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories—an automated software system built to streamline air traffic operations. A one-page overview of the program describes Smart as "a cloud-based platform system that enhances existing FAA air traffic management systems." The document further explains that the system leverages AI to evaluate "airline schedules, weather, airport capacity, airspace conditions, and operational constraints to predict traffic flows and identify potential conflicts before they occur."

Smart was developed by a company called Air Space Intelligence, and according to the report, it will cost the government that sum over a 12-year span. The software is set to debut in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area before being extended to other regions. Earlier this year, the FAA also unveiled what it called a "bold, new" hiring initiative, which the agency claimed would "erase the longstanding staffing shortage." At the same time, the government is pursuing a broader effort to modernize the country's aging air traffic infrastructure.