UT Aerospace Engineer Joins AI Advisory Group

Aerospace engineer John-Paul Clarke will serve on the advisory board of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ newly formed Aerospace Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group. The group will be tasked with understanding the applications and impact of AI across the aerospace industry, as well as government, academia and other key sectors.

Clarke, an Oden Institute affiliated faculty member and professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, is a leading expert in aircraft trajectory prediction and optimization. He aims to leverage his expertise to enable increasingly autonomous aircraft-enabled mobility, especially in urban and regional settings.

“Like every other industry, we in aerospace need to understand the potential and impacts of AI,” said Clarke. “Together, we will find ways to take advantage of the ways AI can improve our industry and look for ways to apply it ethically and effectively.”

Initially, the advisory group will challenge four major challenges related to AI in aerospace:

• Integrating responsible AI approaches into the body of aerospace theory and practice.
• Representing diverse viewpoints in the advancement of AI within aerospace, including developing appropriate AIAA responses and accommodations to relevant external AI policy and industry practices and standards.
• Integrating aerospace workforce and AI competency considerations into aerospace education and professional development processes.
• Applying AI ethically in aerospace publishing.

AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society, with close to 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members. The organization aims to brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense.

Article adapted from UT Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering/Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.