# How to Become Indispensable in Aviation in 2026

- **Date:** 2026-04-03
- **Author:** Samuel Chandra (Founder & CEO, Deepsky)
- **Canonical:** [https://www.deepskyai.com/newsletter/how-to-become-indispensable-in-aviation](https://www.deepskyai.com/newsletter/how-to-become-indispensable-in-aviation)
- **Also on Substack:** [https://deepsky294.substack.com/p/how-to-become-indispensable-in-aviation](https://deepsky294.substack.com/p/how-to-become-indispensable-in-aviation)
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I have noticed that there is a real need for people with both aviation expertise and AI expertise. Why? The level of domain knowledge you need to do things ultra-safely in aviation is incredibly high. With aviation and AI both being deeply technical fields, it is rare to find someone with a strong command of both.

AI is the first technology that can perform a broad range of cognitive tasks at or near human level, and so it can be applied incredibly broadly. But to use it well, you need to know *what* to use it for - that’s where aviation expertise comes in. And to use it well, you need to know *how it works* - that’s where AI expertise comes in.

Aviation can be quite closed off to the general public, so developing an understanding of how things work and how they are done is reserved for those actively involved in it. AI is more open, but there is a nuance to this technology that we haven’t seen before.

**Your understanding of how AI works should revolve around this point:** the critical piece of knowledge for anyone who wants to become an expert at applying AI to aviation is understanding exactly how and why some AI systems are non-deterministic in their outputs (meaning the same input can produce different answers each time). If you understand this, then everything else will make sense. This will enable you, with confidence, to appropriately select use cases, design and build solutions, implement them and assess their performance.

I’m lucky - I was reading into AI from 2019, understanding it from the ground up - only a few years after generative AI was even invented. In the intervening years, layer after layer of new techniques have been stacked at breathtaking speed, bringing the technology from individual statistical models all the way through to fully autonomous systems that can act with agency, perform most office work, and even interact with each other to create their own artificial societies.

I truly believe that 2026 will be the most consequential year for anyone who’s concerned about their career being disrupted by AI. This year will see the augmentation and replacement of many jobs that can be done in front of a computer. Luckily for aviation, I have witnessed a complete lack of people with this dual expertise. This manifests in many ways:

> • **Regulators** being nervous or outright blocking the use of AI in operational applications• **Enterprises** struggling to risk-assess products being pitched to them• **Pilots** blindly using random AI tools, with operators unaware and relying on unvetted outputs• And many, many more cases

Again - luckily for you, this represents an incredible opportunity. **You** can become that expert. You can be the one that others rely on. Because you already know aviation.

Here are a few ideas on how you can become and remain that invaluable part of your organisation:

> 1. **Learn how AI actually works** - and especially how and why some AI systems are non-deterministic in their output. This single concept underpins almost every risk, limitation and design decision you will encounter.2. **Experiment with AI tools** - apart from being blown away (and a little scared) by how good they are, hands-on use will sharpen your intuition for the technology and give you ideas for both the use cases and the pitfalls you’ll encounter in your broader work.3. **Become an expert in risk assessment and the related regulations** - as AI enters aviation, the people who can bridge the gap between what the technology does and what the rules require will be in enormous demand.

Also - please read this: **[https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening](https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening)** its a seminal essay on how AI will be able to automate any job in front of a computer this year. And how to stay ahead.

Good luck, godspeed, and have fun.

***If you’d like to understand more about what the future will need from people like you - and by future, I mean the end of this year - send me a message.***

*admin@deespkyai.com*

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