The US Air Force is testing an autonomous F-16 fighter jet and is so confident in the technology that it is sending its boss as a passenger.
The Associated Press reported that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall volunteered to be a passenger in an autonomous F-16 to see how it performed.
“There will be a pilot with me who will just observe, as I do, how autonomous technology works,” Kendall said during a Senate Appropriations Committee advocacy panel Tuesday.
“I hope neither he nor I will be needed to fly the plane,” Kendall added.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. Tom Williams/Getty Images
If successful, the technology could be smarter, more efficient and more affordable than manually operated planes.
The Daily Mail reported in March that the US Air Force had ordered a fleet of 1,000 AI-piloted drones capable of “performing riskier maneuvers” than manual aircraft.
It will likely cost between $10 million and $20 million per plane, which is much less than traditional manual planes, according to the publication. The plane will be made from inexpensive materials with the intention of flying a few missions before being destroyed, AP reported.
Meanwhile, a new manned F-35 costs $100 million, while a B-21 bomber costs $750 million, according to a Daily Mail estimate.
These factors could be important to the success of the United States in future wars. The fleet was specially designed with possible future conflict with China in mind, AP reported.
The Pentagon is expected to choose two companies to build the technology by this summer, with a goal of completing hundreds of planes over the next five years, the Daily Mail reported.
While this appears to have advantages, fully autonomous systems have also faced backlash from those concerned about the dangers of relying on AI to make strategic decisions.
As Business Insider previously reported, critics of AI weapons, including the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, have called the technology “slaughter robots,” criticizing the lack of algorithmic decision-making that, they say could increase the risk of a rapid escalation of the conflict.
In 2019, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that “machines with the power and discretion to kill without human intervention are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be banned under international law.”
The Air Force did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
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