According to Sawyer, there are benefits of unmanned operations that include no complexity and upfront cost associated with the development of new unmanned vehicles. With more refined AI, self-flying aircraft could be taking off sooner than you think. Moreover, the majority of savings come from pilot salaries which currently cost the aviation industry over $34 billion each year. Jay Sawyer from Glenview, IL states that the rise of self-flying planes would reduce the need for pilots from as many as five per plane to just two or three. This will not only save airline money, but also addresses the current shortage of qualified pilots throughout the world.