AI in borescope inspection: what it can and can't do

What AI does well

• Reviewing every frame. A long video gets the same attention at the end as at the start.
• Flagging candidates. Models trained on labelled images can highlight likely cracks, coating loss, erosion, missing material and FOD for the inspector to check.
• Consistency. Flags don't depend on who's on shift or how long they've been looking.
• Paperwork. Findings, images and references can flow straight into the report.

Where it falls short

• It doesn't make the call. The disposition depends on the manual's limits for that engine, stage and location, and on the inspector's judgment.
• Unfamiliar damage. A model is only as good as the examples it learned from, so rare or new damage types are where it's most likely to miss.
• Image quality. Glare, poor lighting, dirty optics and awkward probe angles hurt human and machine review alike.
• Misses and false alarms. Every detector trades one against the other, so the inspector still reviews every finding.

Where the industry stands

• One of the largest borescope equipment makers has announced AI-assisted defect recognition built into its flagship videoscope for commercial jet engines.
• A major engine manufacturer announced on July 15, 2026 that it's integrating AI-assisted borescope software through its acquisition of a specialist inspection-software company.
• The FAA's Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Safety Assurance sets the principle that AI should work within existing aviation safety requirements, and EASA has published AI roadmaps since 2020.

Questions to ask before you buy an AI inspection tool

1. Which defect types, engine models and modules was it trained and tested on?
2. What are its measured detection and false-alarm rates on footage like yours, and how were they measured?
3. Does every flag show the frame and region that triggered it?
4. Does it check findings against your manuals, and what does it do when a manual isn't loaded?
5. Can the inspector override every call, and is the override recorded?
6. Who owns the footage and the reports, and can you export all of it?
7. Does it work offline in the hangar?
8. Does it fit your approved procedures without changing who signs?

How AirCheck approaches it

AirCheck flags possible cracks, TBC spall, coating loss, wear and FOD, shows the frames behind each flag, and cites the manual's chapter and page when the manual is indexed. If it isn't, the finding says "manual match pending" instead of inventing a citation. The inspector accepts, edits or rejects every finding and signs the report; AirCheck never signs. Book a demo.