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BSHeadline Over Filing

Timing, not a cause

DHS is looking. Nothing in the record says the AI did it.

“The FAA's new AI air traffic tool, SMART, may have caused the 13 November nationwide ground stop.”

Futurism headline and social posts, after DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said DHS was looking at the tool, 13 November 2026

Recorded 14 November 2026. Our ruling means: not supported by its own sources.

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Receipts pack

The evidence file for this verdict

16 receipts: 2 support the claim, 3 contradict it, 11 add context. 3 figures on the record, 3 traced to a quoted receipt.

The receipts

Each source, the line we quote from it, its date and which way it cuts. Free to read and to cite.

  1. 1Supports the claimfuturism.com ↗

    Entire US Airspace Shut Down Days After the FAA Rolled Out an AI Air Traffic Tool. Was It a Coincidence?

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  2. 2Supports the claimclick2houston.com ↗

    the Department of Homeland Security is working with other federal agencies to determine whether the Federal Aviation Administration’s new AI technology contributed to the disruption.

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  3. 3Contradicts the claimclick2houston.com ↗

    However, officials have not established that the AI system caused the problem.

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  4. 4Contradicts the claimfuturism.com ↗

    The current ground stop is not based on or a result of the SMART system,

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  5. 5Contextscientificamerican.com ↗

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cited a “temporary telecommunications outage,”

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  6. 6Contextscientificamerican.com ↗

    CBS News reported that a software update to the private communications system may have triggered a system-wide reboot, causing it to crash.

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  7. 7Contextscientificamerican.com ↗

    The FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure is managed by L3Harris,

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  8. 8Contextfuturism.com ↗

    following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers,

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  9. 9Contextarstechnica.com ↗

    the FAA will now use SMART in the airspace of all 22 centers across the country

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  10. 10Contextarstechnica.com ↗

    cannot be used to replace the critical role air traffic controllers play or take over control of an aircraft,

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  11. 11Contextarstechnica.com ↗

    Local air traffic controllers can decide whether or not to accept the SMART system recommendations.

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  12. 12Contextarstechnica.com ↗

    has helped reroute 180 flights since being implemented in airspace over Washington, DC, on September 21.

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  13. 13Contextscientificamerican.com ↗

    The last time the FAA stopped flights was for 90 minutes on January 11, 2023,

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  14. 14Contextclick2houston.com ↗

    Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Department of Homeland Security is working with other federal agencies

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  15. 15Contextfuturism.com ↗

    Secretary of transportation Sean Duffy tweeted that the ground stop is

    Look up an archived copy ↗

  16. 16Contradicts the claimfuturism.com ↗

    The government contractor behind SMART, Air Space Intelligence, quickly denied that the ground stop is in any way connected to its tool.

    Look up an archived copy ↗

Members' extras

What each receipt proves, and what would change our mind.

  • What each receipt above proves, in our words
  • The figures table, each number traced to the receipt that states it
  • The trick behind the claim, explained, with the guide to spotting it
  • What would change our verdict
  • Our call on the record, with its due date

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