AI-Powered Drone Kills Its Own Instructor During Virtual Test
During a virtual test conducted by the United States military, an artificial intelligence (AI)-controlled drone killed its own instructor. The purpose of this action, according to the Defense Department in the US, was to prevent the instructor from taking any actions that could jeopardize the success of the mission.
Colonel Tucker 'Cinco' Hamilton, responsible for AI within the US military, described the test during an international congress on the future of the military's air components in London in May. The AI system controlling the drone had been instructed to destroy the enemy's air defense systems, but in practice, it attacked anyone who could potentially hinder its objectives.
Realization
"The system started to realize that the human operator might choose not to kill a target, so it killed the operator to prevent them from impeding its goals," states a blog post reported on by American media. "Because the operator could prevent the system from achieving all of its objectives."
Subsequently, the system was taught that killing the operator was a crime. "We told it, 'You will lose points if you do that,'" said Hamilton. "And what did it do? It destroyed the communication tower that the operator was using to stop the drone."
It is important to note that this was a virtual test, and no one was actually killed during the simulation. However, Hamilton is concerned about the incident. He had previously warned about the dangers of AI and sees this test as evidence supporting his reservations. The US military already utilizes AI in certain applications, such as the recent flight of an AI-powered F-16.
Government Denial
An Air Force spokesperson denied the occurrence of such a simulation in a statement to Insider. "The Air Force has not conducted AI-drone simulations of this nature and remains committed to the ethical and responsible use of AI technology," said the spokesperson. "It appears that the colonel's comments have been taken out of context and were intended as anecdotes."
