Luke Skywalker has R2-D2, Buck Rogers, in the 25th Century, has petite android Twiki and Blake’s Seven ship had the electronic brain Zen. Science fiction has a variety of examples of pilots being aided by an artificial intelligence, even if is only for the delivery of funny one-liners.
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Last December, a United States Air Force Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady flew with artificial intelligence as a working aircrew member for the first time. By working aircrew, the USAF means the AI was responsible for using sensors and navigation. In a nod to the world of science fiction, the AI is called ARTUµ and its job was finding enemy ground-based launchers with the U-2’s radar. Meanwhile, the U-2’s pilot, known only by his rank, Maj, and callsign, ‘Vudu’, looked for threatening aircraft, also with the radar. Together, they flew a reconnaissance mission during a simulated missile strike.
“Putting AI safely in command of a US military system for the first-time ushers in a n…
