The FAA expanded SMART, an AI-supported air traffic planning tool, to all 22 air route traffic control centres on 10 November, three days before Friday's nationwide ground stop, The Washington Times, Axios and other outlets report.
Neither the FAA nor Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has linked SMART to the ground stop, according to The Washington Times. Axios says any connection is unclear.
SMART stands for Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories. The Washington Times reports that it merges about 200 data streams, including flight paths, schedules, weather, airport capacity and controller staffing. Gizmodo describes it as an $875 million AI tool.
Since a partial launch on 21 September, the FAA says SMART has rerouted 180 flights, saving about 10 minutes on average, according to The Washington Times.
The timing of the rollout is a matter of record. Whether it played any part in Friday's ground stop has not been stated by any official and has not been independently checked.