I imagine that Boeing is simply ensuring that all human interfaces can be operated by software, ie the gear, flap levers, etc.

So that on the off chance that somebody produces a black box which can function like a human, they can just plug it in.

But as others have pointed out, that's highly unlikely in the foreseeable future... the autonomous car industry has effectively stalled, they've realized they can't program their way around the real world, especially in urban environments. We may well see autonomy on interstates, which offer a high degree of standardization and predictability compared to city streets.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/robots-...=hp_minor_pos1

Peter Thiel’s book “0 to 1” has some good content on automation/AI. Generally, his take is the push for full automation is misguided. Tech is a tool, created by humans to be beneficial to humans. The push to take really good tech/human interfaces and replace the human will likely not be beneficial for many, many years. Paypal experienced this firsthand…it’s a good book.

The way the political winds are blowing I think the emphasis will be on green technology. The industry will use biofuels and claim the flight is "carbon-neutral" on every news outlet with multiple press releases and a few parades. Then claim the next paradigm shift is "electric" airplanes or hydrogen or somesuch nonsense.

​​​​​​https://www.traveldailymedia.com/bri...20and%20Airbus.

Bio fuels is the focus.

From the last 10-Q:

Environmental Sustainability. During 2022, we are continuing to develop our climate transition plan and to pursue our short-, medium-, and long-term climate goals. In July 2022, Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) validated our medium-term goal to reduce well-to-wake (lifecycle) scope 1 and 3 jet fuel greenhouse gas emissions by 45% per revenue tonne kilometer by 2035 from a 2019 base year. We expect our path toward achievement of these goals to depend heavily on improved fuel efficiency from fleet renewal, increased use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) which is not presently available at scale or at prices competitive to jet fuel, operational initiatives and technological innovation. In the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we incurred $98 million of expense related to carbon offset credits, which relates to a portion of our airline segment's 2021 and March 2022 quarter carbon emissions. As we continue to work on accelerating our long-term, net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal, our vision of the path forward will require multiple initiatives, centered on a long-term strategy of decarbonization; we therefore expect substantially all of our investment going forward will be focused on solutions other than carbon offsets.

At least we are getting away from the offset (forest hostage and racketeering) business.

Boeing:

We just lost billions on a failed MCAS system? Hold my beer.

Let's spend hundreds of millions on something that will never get approved and will finally bankrupt us.

May be time to play nice with the AFA. They can attempt to design, engineer, and legislate us out of the cockpit...but I con't see them legislating FA out of the cabin. If the AFA refuses to fly on airplanes without 2 pilots, it would shut the industry down.

Its already in there. We need to have minimum two pilots.

Might want to try reading the PWA first.

PWA 1.C.9: No aircraft performing Company flying will operate with fewer than two pilots.

I’d be down with some one-pilot ops if they’re willing to bring back positive space commuting…

Full self driving on crazy roads, bad paint, obstacle threats, etc is far more difficult than full self flying airplane, imo, but the difference is the car can stop if things are not right. The airplane cannot so to the average person it’s a nonstarter.