Headlines said the AI flew the fighter jet with no pilot required. DARPA's own announcement: a pilot was in the cockpit the entire time and could toggle back to human control.
The AI controlled the F-16 for 'the majority of the flight.' A human pilot sat behind the stick, could override at any moment, and this was not even the first AI fighter flight. The ACE program ran 21 AI-controlled flights starting in 2022.
"DARPA and the U.S. Air Force completed the first VENOM flight of an AI-controlled F-16 fighter jet, described in headlines as 'autonomous' and 'no pilot required.'" [SOURCE ↗]
THE CLAIM. DARPA and the U.S. Air Force completed the first VENOM flight of an AI-controlled F-16. Headlines called it 'autonomous' and 'no pilot required.'
THE CHECK. DARPA's own announcement says 'human pilots remain in the cockpit to monitor the AI agents.' The pilot could 'toggle between traditional human control and AI control with the flip of a switch.' Stars and Stripes reported the pilot 'transitioned from active control to a supervisory role' but never left the cockpit.
THE TWIST. this is not even the first AI fighter flight. DARPA's ACE program ran 21 AI-controlled test flights with the X-62A VISTA between December 2022 and September 2023, including AI vs human dogfights in 2024. DARPA itself said 'many hard questions remain concerning the performance and trustworthiness of combat AI.' The technology advanced. The headlines did not read the fine print.
DARPA's official announcement uses the phrase 'human-on-the-loop' consistently. Not 'human-out-of-the-loop.' The distinction matters.
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