Virtual fighter jets powered by AI are battling for the chance to dogfight a human
This F-16 in Florida is being flown by a real human. (US Air Force / Tech. Sgt. John Raven/)Fighter jets need humans to fly them, but someday, that could change. This week, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency—better known as DARPA—is hosting a virtual Top Gun-style competition in which various artificial intelligence algorithms fly simulated jets in digital dogfights. No actual planes are in the air, but the goal is to see which AI agent can provide the most formidable fighter. The event kicked off on Tuesday morning, and on Thursday, the strongest AI will battle against a simulated F-16 operated by a real flesh-and-blood pilot.The event this week is the third stage in what’s called the AlphaDogfight Trials. The first trial in the series, held last fall, was very much rookie algorithms trying to figure out aviation fundamentals, explains Col. Dan Javorsek, the manager of the event at DARPA...