Aviation Lo Down

Computers can calculate huge amounts of data much more efficiently than a human brain. But, can they make decisions? Are they intelligent? Are they creative? Perhaps most intriguing, do they have a conscious? With the recent crashes of the two Boeing 737 MAX airliners, the discussion of whether or not industries like aviation have become too automated and complex has once again resurfaced. With President Donald Trump tweeting that airplanes have "become far too complex to fly" a very real debate has re-energized: is automation and complex software changing the industry for the better, or for the worse? Join me, LO, as I explore some of the basics behind why some people feel that computers and software lie at the heart of the two recent 737 MAX crashes, among others. I will also dive in to difficult, almost existential questions, such as, at what point does a computer go from being a programmable logic machine, to one that has a conscious, and is able to be aware of itself; to make intuitive decisions? While t