Diksia.com - The US military claims to have successfully tested an experimental F-16 fighter jet. This orange and white F-16 is piloted by artificial intelligence, or AI, not a human pilot. To demonstrate his capabilities, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall sat in the front seat.
AI represents one of the greatest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth systems in the early 1990s. The US AU has aggressively begun its implementation.
Although this technology is not yet fully developed, the US Air Force plans to expand its AI-enabled fleet by more than 1,000 aircraft, the first of which will be operational in 2028.
The test took place at Edwards Air Force Base, a massive desert facility where the U.S. military develops its most secret aerospace advances. In secret simulators and protected buildings, pilots train the AI to fly in war.
Kendall comes there to see the AI fly in real time and is convinced of the future role of AI in dogfighting. “There are security risks if we don't have it. At this point we have to have it,” Kendal said, quoted by the Associated Press's detikINET.
AP and NBC were given permission to observe the secret flight. The AI-controlled F-16, named Vista, flew Kendall in a maneuver at speeds of over 550 mph (885 km/h), which exerted pressure on the body five times greater than gravity. The jet flew close to a second human-piloted F-16, racing and maneuvering around each other.
At the end of the hour-long flight, Kendall exited the cockpit with a big smile. He said he saw enough things during his flight to believe that the still-learning AI would be capable of deciding whether or not to fire weapons in war.
There are many who oppose this idea. Arms control experts and humanitarian groups fear that AI will one day be able to autonomously drop bombs that can kill without further consultation with people. They are trying to limit usage.
“There are widespread and serious concerns about leaving life and death decisions to sensors and software,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said. Autonomous weapons are a matter of concern and require an urgent international political response.
