Footage of the first battle between AI and pilots

An F-16 fighter controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) participates in the first dogfight with another F-16 aircraft piloted by humans .

Air combat exercise between X-62A aircraft and manned aircraft. (Video: DARPA)

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) shared footage of the exercise that took place last September at the US Air Force Test Pilot Training School at Edwards Air Force Base, New Atlas. reported on April 22. This is part of DARPA's Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program .

To create an automated control system with the same capabilities as human pilots, DARPA began the ACE program with the X-62A, also known as the In-Flight Simulation Test Aircraft (VISTA). This is a version based on Lockheed Martin's F-16D fighter equipped with Block 40 avionics system and many other modifications that allow AI integration. The vehicle has demonstrated its ability to fly for many hours without a pilot, but the US Air Force's goals don't stop there.

The ACE program aims to use machine learning as an alternative to humans. In particular, AI can adjust behavior based on historical data and experience in the interactive system. This can be especially useful in volatile situations with unclear rules and difficult to predict outcomes. Although aerial combat may not be like modern warfare, it is a good way to test AI because such battles are complex and unpredictable. It requires AI to comply with regulations for pilot training. Air combat exercises at an altitude of 600m and a speed of 1,900km/h require strict safety regulations because it is very expensive and can easily cause chaos when fighter planes crash into each other or into bridges or houses.

Continued aerial combat trials this year will help regulate AI, establish an ethical basis for using such systems, and study how to measure and predict human trust in AI. Although AI is in charge of controlling the X-62A, there is always a pilot ensuring safety in the cockpit. To date, the program has produced more than 100,000 lines of significant software changes in 21 test flights.

If successful, ACE could lead to the birth of AI systems that elevate pilots to the role of mission commander, overseeing the more important aspects of the job while AI takes charge of the pilot and participates in combat. fight.