The Amazing Ways Dubai Airport Uses Artificial Intelligence

AI Customs Officials

The Emirates Ministry of the Interior said that by 2020, immigration officers would no longer be needed in the UAE. They will be replaced by artificial intelligence. The plan is to have people just walk through an AI-powered security system to be scanned without taking off shoes or belts or emptying pockets. The airport was already experimenting with a virtual aquarium smart gate. Travelers would walk through a small tunnel surrounded by fish. While they looked around at the fish that swim around them, cameras could view every angle of their faces. This allowed for quick identification.

AI Baggage Handling

Tim Clark, the president of Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul carrier believes artificial intelligence, specifically, robots should already be handling baggage service including identifying them, putting the bags in appropriate bins and then taking them out of the aircraft without any human intervention. He envisions these robots to be similar to the automation and robotics used at Amazon.com’s warehouses.

Air Traffic Management

In a partnership with Canada-based Searidge Technologies, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is researching the use of artificial intelligence in the country’s air traffic control process. In a statement announcing the partnership is 2018, the director-general of the GCAA confirmed that it is UAE’s strategy to explore how artificial intelligence and other new technologies can enhance the aviation industry. With goals to optimize safety and efficiency within air traffic management, this is important work that could ultimately impact similar operations worldwide.

Automated Vehicles

Self-driving cars powered by artificial intelligence and 100% solar or electrical energy will soon be helping the Dubai Airport increase efficiency in its day-to-day operations, including improvements between ground transportation and air travel. Imagine how artificial intelligence could orchestrate passenger movement from arrival to the airport to leaving your destination's airport. In the future, autonomous vehicles (already loaded with your luggage) I could meet you at the curb. Maybe AI could transform luggage carts to act autonomously to get your luggage to your hotel or home, eliminating any need for baggage carousels and the hassle of dealing with your luggage.