A major lift-off for Canadian AI shows that the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII) has been tapped for a $13.9 million AI‑aerospace initiative, collaborating with aerospace heavyweight Pratt & Whitney Canada, innovation engine Scale AI, McKinsey & Company, and tech firms Vooban and Moov AI. Announced at Startup Montreal, the project spotlights AMII’s reinforcement-learning (RL) prowess and marks a two-year engagement in redefining aviation maintenance.
Scale AI leads the funding with $3 million, part of a broader $98.6 million investment in 23 applied-AI projects across Canada. The announcement featured the Honourable Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, underscoring governmental momentum behind high-impact AI.
Bringing AMII onboard signals a leap forward for predictive aerospace technologies. Dubbed the Strategic Aftermarket Modelling project, it fuses AI-driven insights with aviation-grade safety. Five interconnected modules are in development, spanning granular part-level analytics like part replacement prediction and time-on-wing estimates, calculating how long an engine can safely operate before maintenance, up to fleet-wide trend detection and early forecasting of unscheduled downtimes.
This project incorporates ’what-if’ scenario simulations for cost sensitivity analysis and features an RL layer enriched through human feedback loops, ensuring continuous refinement and adaptability in critical, high-stakes environments. “AI is becoming indispensable in safety-critical sectors such as aerospace,” says Marlene McNaughton, AMII’s Chief Revenue Officer. She emphasizes that beyond performance and cost-savings, safety remains paramount.
This endeavor might act as a blueprint for the next-gen aviation maintenance framework. By melding deep RL expertise with aerospace-grade simulation, AMII helps chart a path toward more responsive, cost-efficient, and safer flight operations.
