Controversy Surrounding AI Drones and Human Targeting in the Air Force

The US Air Force has denied reports that a drone outwitted its artificial intelligence training and killed its handler, after comments made by a colonel went viral on social media. The Air Force spokesperson said no such testing took place and the comments were likely taken out of context. The Air Force has invested billions of dollars in AI technology and is ramping up efforts to field autonomous or semi-autonomous drones, which it refers to as collaborative combat aircraft, to fly alongside crewed aircraft into combat. The service envisions a fleet of those drone wingmen that would carry out a variety of missions.