Faa’s New SMART AI Rollout Preceded Nationwide Ground Stop

WHO:

Techmeme - ASI, the developer of SMART, stated that the outage was not caused by SMART, an ASI product, or ASI’s integration with the FAA and air traffic control.

Mashable - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop.

Mashable - Some people on social media suggested the FAA’s new AI system may have caused the ground stop.

NY Post - The FAA launched its new AI-supported SMART air traffic system.

WHAT:

Gizmodo - SMART is an $875 million tool intended to assist with air-traffic management across the national airspace system.

Gizmodo - During its Washington, D.C., trial, SMART rerouted 180 flights, saving an average of 10 minutes and 80 gallons of fuel per flight.

Gizmodo - SMART combines weather patterns, flight paths, traffic flow, and controller staffing metrics; a Washington, D.C.-based expert team validates its findings, and controllers decide whether to accept its suggestions.

Gizmodo - The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it was not involved in SMART’s design, testing, or implementation and could not speak to its effects on the workforce.

Gizmodo - House Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office to review SMART’s implementation strategy, performance metrics, and safety risk management.

Gizmodo - The FAA said it plans to replace its reliance on 55-year-old floppy-disk technology by 2028.

Mashable - The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop; the article said social media users suggested a possible connection to the administration’s new AI system.

NY Post - The FAA rolled out the SMART tool to all of its air route traffic control centers.

NY Post - An “extremely rare ground stop” halted planes across the United States.

WHERE:

Mashable - The ground stop was nationwide.

NY Post - The SMART tool was rolled out to all FAA air route traffic control centers; the ground stop halted planes across the United States.

WHY:

Mashable - The article reported that some social media users suggested the ground stop could have been caused by the administration’s new AI system; it did not confirm that cause.

HOW:

Gizmodo - SMART generates alternative route information that passes through the FAA’s existing systems and procedures; air traffic controllers retain the final decision on whether to use its recommendations.

NY Post - The FAA’s SMART tool was described as an AI-supported air traffic system.

(UPDATED November 14, 2026 01:03 UTC)

The FAA ordered a rare nationwide ground stop, halting flights across the United States. Some social media users questioned whether its new AI-supported SMART system was responsible. SMART’s developer denied a connection; the tool offers route suggestions, while controllers decide.

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(UPDATED November 14, 2026 00:01 UTC)

The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop, halting planes across the United States in an extremely rare disruption. The agency had rolled out its AI-supported SMART air traffic system to all route control centers. Social media users suggested a possible connection, but the cause was unconfirmed.