FAA Ground Stop and AI News From OpenAI AMD and Nvidia

Key Takeaways

• The FAA grounded new departures nationwide on Nov. 13 after communications problems affected control centers; the roughly four-to-five-hour disruption was attributed to outdated equipment and overloaded network hardware, with no cyberattack evidence reported.
• SMART was expanded to all 22 FAA control centers on Nov. 10. It analyzes about 200 data streams and recommends routes but does not control planes; officials have not established that it caused the outage, and its developer denies involvement.
• More than 20 lawmakers had asked the GAO to review SMART’s safety checks, controller input, training and oversight in an Oct. 13 letter. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy requested $50 billion for an air traffic system rebuild.
• xAI is promoting Grok Build and Grok Bot. Grok 4.7 has a 500,000-token context window, while Team Bots connect with workplace tools such as Slack and require managerial approval for shared learning.
• OpenAI’s ChatGPT GIFs feature creates and edits looping animations from prompts or images and is available to free users. OpenAI reported $10.9 billion in quarterly operating losses despite 50% revenue growth and has started placing ads in ChatGPT.
• In a Podqi study, risky shopping sites appeared in 15% of Perplexity answers, 8% of ChatGPT answers and 4% of Gemini answers; 57% of responses displaying risky sites recommended them for shopping.
• AMD expects about 100% server revenue growth in 2027 and more than double Data Center AI revenue, with initial Helios deployments across five major AI customers. Third-quarter Data Center operating income rose 168% to $2.9 billion.
• Reports raised questions about Nvidia’s leadership after Jensen Huang’s departure and called for tighter controls on China sales. Bloomberg also reported that 22 Dell servers containing banned H800 chips were sold to Singapore’s Aperia Cloud Services.
• Ontra Mobility, developed from a MARTA pilot, uses AI to help transit agencies plan services and won £100,000 at the Blue Earth Summit after competing with 1,400 applicants.

FAA outage sparks questions about newly expanded AI air traffic tool

The Federal Aviation Administration stopped departures nationwide after communications problems affected air traffic control centers. The questions focused on SMART, an AI tool that analyzes weather, flight paths, air traffic and controller staffing to predict congestion and suggest routes. The FAA expanded SMART to all 22 centers on Nov. 10, after first using it in the Washington, D.C., area in September. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed aging equipment and overloaded switches, routers and copper lines, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials were investigating and had no indication of a malicious attack. The FAA lifted the stop Friday night, the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023.

FAA outage grounds departures as questions focus on new AI software

The Federal Aviation Administration halted departing flights nationwide on Friday, November 13, after a communications outage affected all 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Some facilities reported ATC Zero, meaning they could no longer safely manage air traffic in their airspace. About 3,100 planes were already flying when the order came, and they were allowed to continue to their destinations and land. The FAA held new departures on the ground while technicians worked to restore service. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the problem as a communications outage.

FAA investigates nationwide ground stop as AI link remains unproven

The FAA halted departures nationwide for several hours on Nov. 13, 2026, after a communications problem affected its air traffic control centers. Officials have not determined the cause, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said they could not yet rule out the recently expanded SMART tool. SMART was developed by Boston-based Air Space Intelligence under an $875 million contract, and the FAA expanded it to all 22 centers on Nov. 10. Air Space Intelligence said the ground stop did not result from SMART, and reports have not established that the tool contributed to the outage. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed aging infrastructure and overloaded switches and routers, while officials said there was no indication of a threat.

FAA outage prompts questions about newly expanded AI air traffic tool

The Federal Aviation Administration stopped departures nationwide after communications problems affected air traffic control centers. The questions focused on SMART, an AI tool that analyzes weather, flight paths, air traffic and controller staffing to predict congestion and suggest routes. The FAA expanded SMART to all 22 centers on Nov. 10, after first using it in the Washington, D.C., area in September. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed aging equipment and overloaded switches, routers and copper lines, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials were investigating and had no indication of a malicious attack. The FAA lifted the stop Friday night, the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023.

AI firm denies SMART caused FAA ground stop as officials cite overloaded routers

Air Space Intelligence said its SMART tool did not cause the nationwide ground stop issued Friday afternoon. The grounding lasted about four hours, and the company said the incident was not caused by SMART, its products or its work with the FAA and air traffic control. Transportation Secretary Pete Duffy said overloaded routers and switches produced inconsistent data, leading officials to shut down the system. He said SMART was not connected to the system and could not have affected the incident. Duffy asked Congress for $50 billion to rebuild the aging air traffic control system, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called for a complete overhaul.

US officials examine AI system after nationwide flight ground stop

Days after the Federal Aviation Administration expanded its SMART air traffic system nationwide, it ordered a ground stop for all US flights. Homeland Security administrator Markwayne Mullin said officials were checking whether SMART was connected to the disruption. SMART developer Air Space Intelligence said the ground stop was not caused by its system or its work with the FAA and air traffic control. Microsoft also said its product outages were not related to the FAA’s order. The article says SMART has been used since 2020 to predict and help prevent collisions.

What the FAA’s SMART system does after nationwide flight disruption

The FAA expanded its Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories system, known as SMART, to all 22 US Air Route Traffic Control Centers days before a nationwide ground stop. SMART does not replace air traffic controllers or control planes. It provides recommendations that people review and choose whether to use. Officials said there was no established evidence that SMART caused the disruption, and Markwayne Mullin said they were examining a possible link. The ground stop was blamed on a temporary telecommunications outage, while the cause remained under investigation.

US investigates possible link between FAA disruption and new AI system

US authorities are investigating whether the FAA’s SMART system was connected to a nationwide aviation disruption on November 13, 2026. The FAA had expanded the system to all 22 regional air traffic control centers on November 10. SMART uses about 200 data streams, including weather, flight routes, airspace congestion and controller availability, to predict delays and recommend routes. Its developer, Air Space Intelligence, denied that the system caused the flight suspension, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the new system components continued to work. The FAA suspended departures after a communications failure between control centers, and restrictions ended around 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time after about five hours; officials reported no evidence of a cyberattack and cited overloaded outdated equipment as the main technical problem.

Congress had raised safety concerns about FAA’s new AI air traffic system

The FAA’s nationwide flight ground stop followed concerns from more than 20 members of Congress about its SMART air traffic system. In an October 13 letter, lawmakers asked the Government Accountability Office to review the system’s safety checks, testing, training and oversight. They questioned whether air traffic controllers had enough input and training, and whether SMART could interfere with their decisions or provide inaccurate safety information. The FAA later expanded SMART to all 22 air route traffic control centers, three days before a telecommunications failure led to a ground stop for departing flights. Officials have not established a link between the failure and SMART, which the FAA says combines about 200 data streams to predict traffic and recommend changes.

FAA expands SMART AI tool to 22 control centers before ground stop

The FAA expanded its new AI-supported air traffic system, called Strategic Management of Airspace or SMART, to 22 air route traffic control centers three days before a nationwide ground stop. The system combines about 200 data streams, including flight paths, schedules and weather, on one platform. The tool is intended to help anticipate airspace limits and other problems. The Washington Times reported the expansion.

FAA ground stop follows nationwide communications problems

The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon after communication problems affected air traffic control centers across the country. The stop came after the agency expanded its Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories system, or SMART, to all 22 control centers on Nov. 10. Some people online questioned whether the new AI tool caused the outage, but the article does not establish a link. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed aging equipment, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials were investigating and had no indication of a malicious attack. The FAA lifted the stop Friday night, the first nationwide stop since January 2023.

Grok Bot teams gain access to workplace tools and accounts

Engineers Lauren Tan and Roman Ugarte said they built Grok Bot from its first code to an internal launch in seven weeks. The team created Team Bots about two weeks before their talk, allowing a company to share one bot. Tan uses Grok Bot to gather context from Slack, while Ugarte said a performance marketing team gave its bot account logins. Ugarte advised giving bots limited access at first and expanding permissions as trust grows. Team Bot settings also require an owner or manager to approve what the bot learns for the whole team, and do not save personal information for the team.

xAI puts coding tools and Grok Bot at the center of its plans

xAI is prioritizing AI coding tools and its Grok agent products, including Grok Build and Grok Bot. Grok Build launched in beta in May 2026 as a terminal-based tool for complex coding work and now uses Grok 4.7, which launched on September 21, 2026, with a 500,000-token context window. Grok Bot 1.0, announced around November 11, is designed for teams and connects with workplace chat tools such as Slack. The article says xAI has offered low token prices and bundled Grok, Grok Bot and Cursor access in some X subscription tiers. It also notes concerns about bot permissions, accuracy and how much independence companies will allow.

ChatGPT GIFs turns images into shareable looping animations

OpenAI’s Images 2.6 update adds ChatGPT GIFs, which lets users describe an animation or upload an image to create a looping GIF. Users can adjust the speed, fix individual frames and share the result without using a separate design process. The article says marketers can use the tool to make campaign visuals and test different ad versions. It also gives an example of turning a webinar image into a short loop while keeping its speaker photo, headline and logo unchanged. The article says the feature is available to free users as well as users on other plans.

AMD raises its server growth outlook as AI demand expands

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. raised its outlook for 2027 server revenue growth to about 100%, according to the article. It says AMD expects Data Center AI revenue to more than double, with initial Helios deployments across five major AI customers. Third-quarter Data Center operating income rose 168% to $2.9 billion, while quarterly free cash flow fell to $554 million. The author presents a 2028 bull case of $850 per share, about 60% above the stated $530 share price, while noting dilution and valuation risks.

OpenAI Reports $10.9 Billion in Quarterly Losses Despite Revenue Growth

OpenAI reported $10.9 billion in operating losses last quarter, up from $10.1 billion in the second quarter, even as revenue rose 50%. The company has started running ads in ChatGPT, a move CEO Sam Altman once described as a last resort. The article says AI companies continue to spend billions while relying on growing user numbers and high valuations. It also questions what OpenAI’s losses could mean for the wider AI industry.

Michael Pillsbury Calls for Tighter Limits on Nvidia Chip Sales to China

Fox News contributor Michael Pillsbury joined “Kudlow” on November 13, 2026, to discuss scrutiny of Nvidia’s AI chip sales to China. Pillsbury and the show’s host called on the Commerce Department to impose stronger restrictions. The segment focused on growing attention to Nvidia’s sales in China.

Study Finds AI Chatbots Often Recommend Risky Shopping Sites

A study by Podqi tested AI chatbots with questions about websites for about 151 brands, including Lululemon and Birkenstock. Perplexity gave answers that showed risky sites 15 percent of the time, compared with 8 percent for ChatGPT and 4 percent for Gemini. Across answers that showed a risky site, 57 percent recommended it as a place to shop, while only 9 percent warned users away. Smaller brands and questions about regional websites were more likely to lead to risky results. Podqi CEO Trevor West advised shoppers to check websites before sharing personal or credit card information.

Nvidia Faces Questions About Its Future After Jensen Huang’s Exit

Nvidia’s share price fell after co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang left the company, raising questions about its ability to keep its lead in AI chips. The article says the near-term effect may be limited because upcoming products are well advanced and major hyperscalers have largely set their AI investment plans for 2027. Longer-term concerns include Nvidia’s technology leadership, supplier relationships and decision-making speed as it faces competition from AMD, Broadcom and custom AI chips. Investors will look for clues from interim CEO Colette Kress at Nvidia’s results briefing on 17 November. The article will assess the impact through the Beansprout AI Tracker and the firm’s Opportunity Pot positioning.

Atlanta MARTA Pilot Helped Launch AI Transit Planner Ontra Mobility

Ontra Mobility grew from a pilot project with Atlanta’s MARTA transit system, where Georgia Tech PhD students and co-founders Anthony Trasatti and Connor Riley helped build a routing engine and apps for riders, drivers and administrators. The company uses AI to help transit agencies plan routes, service areas and schedules using their available resources. Ontra won £100,000 at the Blue Earth Summit in London after being selected from 1,400 applicants and named the top startup in its category. Co-founder Trasatti said lessons from the MARTA Reach pilot, including driver responses and the full rider journey, shaped the company’s platform. Ontra hopes to bring its work back to Georgia, help MARTA and nearby agencies coordinate services, and hire more people from Georgia Tech and the Atlanta region.

Report links banned NVIDIA chips to companies tied to Alice Huang

Bloomberg reported that NVIDIA H800 chips, which are banned in China, were sold to Aperia Cloud Services in Singapore. The company bought 22 Dell servers containing the chips, and Dell ended its business ties with Aperia in February 2025 over concerns about the deal. Shanghai Longteng Intelligent Computing, a company Alice Huang set up about a decade ago, listed the hardware in filings to the Chinese government as collateral for financing. Huang left Shanghai Longteng in 2017, and the filings do not say whether she took part in obtaining the chips. Her sister, Huang Yu, later became the company’s majority owner.

Sources

• FAA ground stop raises questions after rollout of new AI air-traffic system
• Did New AI Software Just Crash the FAA's Network?
• FAA Probes Nationwide Ground Stop as Officials Won’t Rule Out AI Tool
• FAA ground stop raises questions after rollout of new AI air-traffic system
• AI company behind FAA’s SMART tool denies link to ground stop, Duffy confirms
• Entire US Airspace Shut Down Days After the FAA Rolled Out an AI Air Traffic Tool. Was It a Coincidence?
• FAA rolled out a new AI system days before nationwide ground stop. What is SMART?
• In the US, investigations are underway into whether the new AI is linked to the FAA glitch
• FAA groundings follow congressional warnings about new AI air traffic system
• FAA launched new AI ‘SMART’ tool to all air route traffic control centers just days before nationwide ground stop
• FAA ground stop raises questions after rollout of new AI air-traffic system
• Grok Bots get phones, cards and Slack seats
• xAI prioritizes AI coding tools and its Grok Bot agent product
• AI Tool of the Week: this ChatGPT feature turns images into looping GIFs
• AMD: The AI Trade Just Entered Another Phase
• AI Businesses Still Bleeding Billions
• Michael Pillsbury URGES stronger restrictions on Nvidia AI chip sales to China
• AI Chatbots Won’t Stop Recommending Scam Websites to People Trying to Shop
• Jensen Huang's exit raises risks for Nvidia. What this means for our AI investment thesis
• From a MARTA Pilot to a London Tech Investment: AI Transit Planning Software’s Journey Started in Atlanta
• Bloomberg Details Web Of Chinese AI Companies With Smuggled NVIDIA Chips Linked To Alice Huang