The United States military has been on a downward slope for a while, especially as far as growth. Recruitment numbers have been declining, as more youth simply do not want to serve. This has led to various forms of automation, especially with the advancement of artificial intelligence. Now things are being taken a step further than ever in our history.
In September of 2023, the first ever 'human vs AI pilot combat dogfight,' was tested. During the test, an F-16 fighter pilot went through a series of engagements with another F-16 that was controlled by AI. It is the first instance of an AI pilot flying against a human. While this is a fascinating bit of advancement, it does not come without a large amount of concern.
Former Army Captain Sean Timmons says this presents a variety of problems that start with the use of the technology itself.
"I am concerned about individual bad actors using AI to facilitate a political objective," he says. "What if it gets programmed to 'kill all Jewish people,' and it is done by Palestinian terrorists? That is a foreseeable possibility...AI would not have the moral compass to not follow that order."
A similar test was performed in 2019, but in a simulator. In that case, the computer AI won five times out of five. So, in theory, the technology works. But the concern is not about it simply working. It is about what you can make it do.
One thing a computer is not programmed to handle is unpredictability, such as live combat. It is all coding that is set for a specific purpose. If things go haywire with AI at the wheel, things could get dangerous.
"You will have situations that arise which will require human interaction and though...and you want to rely on a computer to get it right? That makes no sense," he says.
But then there are the morals of war to consider.
"You need to have human restrictions for ethical and moral regulations as well...and without that, do you want to trust AI to look out for the best interest of the human race? I do not think so," says Timmons.
Some twenty years ago now, the movie 'Robocop' hit the scene, and gave us a fictional look into a world of machine wars. But that bit of fiction might not be too far off from becoming reality. Especially if the advancement of AI is not corralled.
"I do not want to see a world where we see robots fighting robots...but I can imagine a scenario in 20 or 30 years where that is conceivable," he says.
In other words, you could say AI needs to come quietly, or there will be...trouble.
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