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Digital aviation services company Jeppesen ForeFlight pointed to the use of artificial intelligence and automation in its explanation for laying off a sizable portion of its workforce on Jan. 14, according to a company-wide email sent by CEO Brad Surak which was reviewed by The Air Current.
The layoffs come just months after the two software services — which together develop navigation charts and electronic flight bag (EFB) applications for the aviation industry — were divested by Boeing and purchased by private investment firm Thoma Bravo. A spokesperson for Jeppesen ForeFlight declined to share the number of impacted employees, though Surak’s email said that local employment laws could mean some who are being cut “may not find out for sometime [sic].”
Surak, who told TAC in an October interview that he believed the company was “taking a very thoughtful approach” to the implementation of AI, wrote to employees Wednesday that “automation and Al are changing how aviation software is built and scaled, and we must continue to modernize how we work so we can deliver at the level our customers expect.”
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