Using AI to help reduce the climate impact of airlines

The airline industry is working on ways to reduce the condensation trails in the sky caused by aircraft. — Photography oliale72/Getty Images/AFP Relaxnews

Google and American Airlines are piloting an ambitious project, based on artificial intelligence models, to limit pollution from the airline industry. This involves reducing the trails of condensation in the sky caused by airplanes by identifying areas pilots should avoid.

As a child, you might remember lying on the grass and following the white lines formed in the blue sky by passing airplanes with your finger. Called "contrails," these white streaks are far less poetic than the picture we've just painted. These are artificial clouds caused by aircraft, which form when water vapor from the engine condenses into droplets, or even small ice crystals, on contact with cold air. This phenomenon generally occurs when aircraft are flying at high altitudes and in humid or tropical regions.