Airports have long followed a traditional architecture, with parking lots, ticketing stations, baggage screening and check-in on one side, and boarding gates and commercial infrastructure on the other.
However, this familiar scenario is about to be redesigned by the revolution of artificial intelligence (IA), and change can occur more quickly than we imagine.
According to a projection from the Fast Company website, AI will not only impact the design of airports, but will also transform passenger interaction with such spaces over the next five, ten and twenty years.
The role of AI in today’s airports
AI has the potential to completely transform airports – Image: Shutterstock/Metamorworks/Reproduction
The influence of AI goes beyond architecture and penetrates the way people interact with airport services.
We already see some mechanisms that simplify the boarding and parking process, by using personalized technologies and sensors to optimize passengers’ time.
In the five-year projection, it is anticipated that interactions will be even more personalized. Where before we had lights indicating parking spaces, now AI will be able to guide drivers to the floor, aisle and exact number of the space appropriate to their vehicle.
The vision for the next decade is bold. With autonomous vehicles more common, the projection suggests that the security process could occur during the journey to the boarding gates.
This would not only speed up the journey, but also allow full AI control of the vehicle, which would save time and human resources.
Such a change would impact the structure of the airport and open space for innovative services both at the airport and in the third sector.
The outlook for two decades ahead is even more audacious. What if AI took over everything from screening to direct transportation to aircraft? This is the scenario proposed by Fast Company.
Unlike current models focused on airport operations, airports would become true entertainment hubs, with AI coordinating processes and freeing up space for museums and exhibitions.
This projection paints a picture in which AI not only revolutionizes the physical structure of airportsbut also redefines the passenger experience by making each trip a more efficient and personalized journey.
The future of airports is about to be shaped by artificial intelligence, and the transformation has already begun.
