In a first, Air Force uses AI on military jet

Dec. 21, 2020
Defense officials touted the test as a watershed moment for a technology intensely debated in aviation and arms control communities, Aaron Gregg reports for The Washington Post.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force allowed an artificial-intelligence algorithm to control sensor and navigation systems on a U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane in a training flight Tuesday, officials said, marking what is believed to be the first known use of AI onboard a U.S. military aircraft, Aaron Gregg reports for The Washington PostContinue reading original article.

The Intelligent Aerospace take:

December 21, 2020 -According to Gregg, the AI test flight took place over the course of a two-and-a-half hour training mission that took off from Beale Air Force Base in California. Speaking to the Post anonymously, the pilot - call sign "Vudu" - said that “[The AI’s] role was very narrow … but, for the tasks the AI was presented with, it performed well.” The exact nature of the AI's purpose is classified, though USAF spokesman Josh Benedetti told The Post that the system was designed without a manual override to "provoke thought and learning in the test environment."

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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace

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