Earlier this month, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall made history, riding in the cockpit of an AI-piloted F-16 Fighting Falcon through a series of simulated close-quarters air-to-air engagements, more commonly known as good old-fashioned dogfights. According to Kendall, the AI in control of his aircraft was evenly matched with the human F-16 pilot it was squaring off against, and we’re not talking about any ordinary pilot… We’re talking about an Air Force Test Pilot with thousands of hours logged in that specific fighter. This has spurred a great deal of discussion about the implications of AI in combat, much of which has centered around concerns that the systems we devise to wage war for us, may ultimately wage war on us instead. So in Part 1 of our dive into this topic, let’s talk about what AI really is, including what it’s capable of, and what it isn’t.