- The U.S. Air Force is testing an AI jet, and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will be on board.
- “The pilot will be there, but he’ll just be watching,” Kendall said.
- The jets were designed with a future China conflict in mind, according to the Associated Press.
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The U.S. Air Force is testing an autonomous F-16 fighter jet and is so confident in its technology that it’s sending its superiors as passengers.
Associated Press Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has volunteered to be a passenger on the self-flying F-16 to test its performance.
“The pilot will be with me, just watching the autonomous technology work as I do,” Kendall told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Defense Committee on Tuesday.
“I hope he and I never have to fly a plane again,” Kendall added.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall.
Tom Williams/Getty Images
If successful, this technology could be smarter, more efficient, and more affordable than manually operated aircraft.
of daily mail The U.S. Air Force reported in March that it had ordered a squadron of 1,000 AI-operated drones that can perform “more dangerous maneuvers” than manual aircraft.
The magazine said the cost would likely be between $10 million and $20 million per aircraft, much lower than traditional manual aircraft. The aircraft will be built using inexpensive materials and is intended to fly several missions before being destroyed, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail estimates that a new manned F-35 would cost $100 million, while a B-21 bomber would cost $750 million.
These factors could be important to U.S. success in future wars. The fleet was specifically designed with a potential future conflict with China in mind, according to the Associated Press.
According to the Daily Mail, the Pentagon plans to select two companies by this summer to build the technology, with the goal of completing hundreds of aircraft within the next five years.
While fully autonomous systems appear to have advantages, they also face pushback from those concerned about the dangers of relying on AI for strategic decision-making.
As Business Insider previously reported, AI weapons critics, including the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, have called the technology “murder robots” and the lack of algorithmic decision-making raises the risk of rapid escalation of conflict. Criticized as a possibility.
2019 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Said “Machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human intervention are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant, and should be prohibited by international law.”
The Air Force did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.