We can no longer really stop artificial intelligence. She thus took part in a training fight by piloting one of the two fighter planes which confronted each other!
The question of the possible military use of AI has been widely discussed since the emergence of the technology and the global publicity provided by ChatGPT. In the United States, certain changes in OpenAI’s policy, making the start-up more able to work with the military world, had already caused noise. It must be said that progress is very rapid, as shown by this rather futuristic training fight.
The AI did all the work
The research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has made a rather unusual announcement. In fact, it has just revealed that it conducted a full-scale test in September 2023 of the ability of an AI to carry out aerial combat, without human assistance.
To do this, it installed, alongside human pilots, an AI system in the experimental X-62A aircraft. The latter was responsible for piloting the plane in combat, even if humans could regain control at any time. In front of him, a classic F16 in the hands of a human being.
The two adversaries then fought, going so far as to approach each other at a distance of 600 meters, while flying at nearly 2000 km/h. A confrontation during which human pilots never once had to take the place of the AI!
We don’t know the winner
The experiment, which took place at Edwards Air Force Base in California, seemed conclusive for the researchers. “ Air combat was the problem to solve before we could begin testing autonomous artificial intelligence systems in the air » said the chief pilot of the Air Force test pilot school, Bill Gray.
Unfortunately, the communication on this unprecedented event was not complete, since the American army did not provide the identity of the winner of this fight. This test is part of the desire of the United States military forces to develop AI systems for its drone fleet and its defense, as revealed last year by the Wall Street Journal.
Source : The Verge
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