Update: The ground shutdown was lifted and domestic flights resumed Friday evening. For the third time in United States history, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a nationwide grounding for all flights. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the ground stop at 4:16 p.m. ET. More than 2,000 flights have already been affected and flights to the United States have also been suspended. SEE ALSO: Flight Status Tracker: How to Check Online After FAA Cancels All Flights Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters that today’s national strike was caused by a “telecommunications outage,” not a threat to national security. Is ground stop connected to AI? A day earlier, ArsTechnica reported on the FAA’s recent launch of its new $875 million AI tool, the Strategic Airspace Management, Routes and Trajectories (SMART) system. SMART is a cloud-based platform system designed to help air traffic controllers evaluate and manage the national airspace, the FAA explained in a fact sheet on the system. This Week’s Best Tech Deal The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is free right now with T-Mobile products available for purchase through affiliate links. If you purchase something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Mashable Light Speed ”Using AI, SMART analyzes airline schedules, weather, airport capacity, airspace conditions, and operational limitations to predict traffic flows and identify potential conflicts before they occur,” the administration wrote. Online users pointed out the coincidence almost immediately. Air Space Intelligence (ASI), the American aerospace and defense company behind SMART, denied any connection to the ground stop on social media. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It may be loading or may have been deleted. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It may be loading or may have been deleted. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It may be loading or may have been deleted. At this time, officials have not confirmed any connection between the FAA’s SMART tool deployment and the ground stop. SMART has been active in Washington, DC airspace since at least September 21, ArsTechnica reported, and the FAA announced a deployment to 22 centers across the country on November 10. According to management, SMART had successfully helped divert 180 flights. When asked about the possibility that SMART could have impacted the country’s air traffic control systems, Mullin said, “Nothing can be ruled out at this point. We’re going through that process and we’re going to find out what happened. When we do, we’ll take appropriate actions to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” ASI released a statement to X refuting claims that its system caused the FAA shutdown. “The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any ASI product, or our integration with the FAA and ATC,” the company wrote. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It may be loading or may have been deleted. UPDATE: November 13, 2026, 3:41 pm This story has been updated with a quote from Air Space Intelligence (ASI). Topics Artificial Intelligence Government
