Cleveland, Ohio – On July 1, 2024, ATDA President Ed Dowell established a committee to evaluate the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) within the Train Dispatching craft. With such technology presenting an increasingly unpredictable threat to jobs of all kinds (including those of Train Dispatchers), the move will better position ATDA to be proactive as its impact on the craft becomes clearer. The committee, which will be overseen by ATDA Vice President Brandon Denucci, and chaired by CSX System Committee General Chairman Ben Craft, will analyze rail carrier usage of related technologies across all properties represented by the ATDA. The information they provide will then be incorporated as ATDA’s national leadership formulates an ongoing strategy to counter AI’s threat to members’ jobs.
Commenting on the move, Dowell said “The ATDA recognizes the threat that automation and AI pose to our members’ jobs and we will not simply sit back and wait to see how things shake out. As the industry experts on Train Dispatching, our members understand better than anybody which tasks must remain in the capable hands of our soon-to-be-federally-certified Train Dispatchers, and when a machine simply can’t be trusted to protect the public. So, it only makes sense that we empower them to be part of this fight.”