Pilotless: This Is Your Robot Speaking

Once we’ve accepted driverless cars, what about pilotless airliners? Is that a bridge too far?

Peter Garrison

Friday, June 27, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

There’s a difference between remotely-piloted aircraft and completely autonomous ones. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Building on the growing public acceptance of driverless cars, the article posits that pilotless airliners are an inevitable next frontier for autonomous technology.
It argues that modern AI, utilizing machine learning and extensive simulated training, can surpass human pilots in both routine operations and emergency situations by eliminating human error and gaining vast "experience."
The author predicts that as autonomous aviation technology advances through military and cargo uses, public comfort will grow, eventually leading to passengers feeling safer with AI at the controls than with fallible humans.

See a mistake? Contact us.

I’m not sure what’s gained by putting ride-share drivers out of work, but driverless cars have become a common sight in Los Angeles. I seldom drive any distance without encountering one of Waymo’s white Jaguar SUVs, its roof and fenders barnacled with spinning sensors and its front seats empty.I’ve followed them in traffic for miles—they drive well. I’ve tried to book a ride, but the hilly neighborhood of narrow, winding streets in which I live lies just outside their comfort zone. Give them another six months.

A few years ago, a survey found almost 80 percent of respondents unwilling to ride in a driverless car. I don’t know what the fraction would be today, but I’ll bet it’s shrunk. One of my least adventurous friends reported that after a few minutes of a Waymo ride she felt perfectly comfortable—a triumph of experience over imagination.