An experimental F-16 fighter jet, controlled by artificial intelligence, took Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on a historic flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Friday, news agency AP reported. The move can be considered one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth in the early 1990s.
The report said the AI-controlled F-16, called Vista, flew the USAF Secretary in lightning-fast manoeuvres at more than 550 miles an hour that put pressure on his body at five times the force of gravity. It went nearly nose to nose with a second human-piloted F-16 as both aircraft raced within 1,000 feet of each other, twisting and looping to try to force their opponent into vulnerable positions.
At the end of the hourlong flight, Kendall climbed out of the cockpit of the fighter jet. Making a public statement after the flight, the USAF Secretary said he’d seen enough during his flight that he’d trust this still-learning AI with the ability to decide whether or not to launch weapons.
“It’s a security risk not to have it. At this point, we have to have it,” Kendall further said
Last month, testifying at a defence meeting of the US Senate Appropriations Committee, Kendall said he is going to take a ride in an autonomously flown F-16 later this year.
“There will be a pilot with me who will just be watching, as I will be, as the autonomous technology works, and hopefully, neither he nor I will be needed to fly the aeroplane,” a US defence portal quoted the USAF Secretary as saying.
The report further said though the technology is not fully developed, the US Air Force (USAF) is considering an AI-enabled fleet of more than 1,000 unmanned warplanes to be operating by 2028.
It is important to note that arms control experts and humanitarian groups have raised deep concerns that AI one day might be able to autonomously drop bombs that kill people without further human consultation. These groups are seeking greater restrictions on AI use in services.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that there are widespread and serious concerns about ceding life-and-death decisions to sensors and software. “Autonomous weapons are an immediate cause of concern and demand an urgent, international political response,” AP quoted the International Committee of the Red Cross as saying.
The AP, along with NBC, was granted permission to witness the secret flight on the condition that it would not be reported until it was complete because of operational security concerns.
