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Flying Too High: AI and Air France Flight 447

2024/7/19
logo of podcast Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

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The story of Air France Flight 447 begins with the plane mysteriously falling out of the sky, leading to a two-year search for the black box to uncover the cause of the disaster.

Shownotes Transcript

Panic has erupted in the cockpit of Air France Flight 447. The pilots are convinced they’ve lost control of the plane. It’s lurching violently. Then, it begins plummeting from the sky at breakneck speed, careening towards catastrophe. The pilots are sure they’re done-for.

Only, they haven’t lost control of the aircraft at all: one simple manoeuvre could avoid disaster…

In the age of artificial intelligence, we often compare humans and computers, asking ourselves which is “better”. But is this even the right question? The case of Air France Flight 447 suggests it isn't - and that the consequences of asking the wrong question are disastrous.

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