WASHINGTON (AP) – Two Air Force fighter jets recently collided in a dogfight over California. One plane was flown by a pilot. The other wasn't.
The second jet was piloted by artificial intelligence and had the Air Force's highest-ranking civilian passenger in the front seat. It was the ultimate display of how far the Air Force has come in developing technology that has its roots in the 1950s. But that's just a hint of the technology to come.
The United States is racing to stay ahead of China when it comes to AI and its use in weapons systems. The focus on AI has raised public concerns that future wars will be fought by machines that select and attack targets without direct human intervention. Officials say that will never happen, at least on the U.S. side. But there are questions about what potential adversaries will tolerate, and the military believes it has no choice but to rapidly deploy U.S. capabilities.
“Whether you want to call it a race or not, it's definitely a race,” said Admiral Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We both recognize that this will be a very important element on the future battlefield. China is working on this issue as passionately as we are.”
