Archer Aviation unveils Zee, an AI model built for aviation

Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) has announced Zee, an aviation-specific AI foundation model the company claims is the leading model of its kind, built on data including ADS-B signals, air traffic control communications, maps and charts, aircraft state, terrain, and weather information.

According to a press release from Archer, Zee is trained on real-world operational data gathered through a proprietary pipeline and a network of more than 6,000 ADS-B receivers globally. The model is designed to function both offline on-device and as a server-hosted solution, enabling use across air taxis, unmanned aerial vehicles, commercial airlines, and air traffic management systems.

Archer's AI team, which consists of nearly 100 researchers and engineers, is led by Mario Srouji, who joined the company after working at Apple. The team is advised by Professor Ruslan Salakhutdinov, former VP of AI Research at Meta and former Director of AI Research at Apple.

"We are building an intelligence layer for the entire aviation system with Zee. The company that owns the data and the foundation model will help lead the aviation industry into the next era of flight," said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer.

Archer said it is in discussions to deploy Zee through pilot programs with governments, airlines, and other industry partners. Targeted applications include airline operations, airspace management, and copilot assistance.

The announcement references a U.S. Department of Transportation commitment of approximately $20 billion toward modernizing the national airspace, though Archer did not specify any direct contract or funding tied to Zee from that program.

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