I think the first place drones will proliferate is the military.
As long as the communications to the drone are secure, it's superior to a manned fighter aircraft in every way (no physiological limitations on extreme maneuvers, no oxygen and other life support systems, no need for CSAR if shot down, etc.)
Most of those advantages are irrelevant in non-combat aircraft. Setting up all the systems to fly the plane remotely probably isn't much more cost-effective than having the pilot onboard, and automating the process is risky for the same reason AI art has malformed hands with too many or too few fingers. Computers can be programmed, but they can't identify and avoid stupid-simple mistakes like a person.
I think the first place drones will proliferate is the military.
As long as the communications to the drone are secure, it's superior to a manned fighter aircraft in every way (no physiological limitations on extreme maneuvers, no oxygen and other life support systems, no need for CSAR if shot down, etc.)
Most of those advantages are irrelevant in non-combat aircraft. Setting up all the systems to fly the plane remotely probably isn't much more cost-effective than having the pilot onboard, and automating the process is risky for the same reason AI art has malformed hands with too many or too few fingers. Computers can be programmed, but they can't identify and avoid stupid-simple mistakes like a person.