--- title: "AI Pilot Crushes Human Dogfight Rival in 90 Seconds" description: "According to a new report, Chinese military researchers say that their AI-powered fighter pilot has bested a human in a real-life aerial dogfight." date: "2023-03-05" modified: "2023-03-05" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-pilot-crushes-human-dogfight" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai weapons" - "autonomous jet fighter" - "china" - "the digest" --- # AI Pilot Crushes Human Dogfight Rival in 90 Seconds ![According to a new report, Chinese military researchers say that their AI-powered fighter pilot has bested a human in a real-life aerial dogfight.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Maverick Was Right Computers aren't just beating humans at chess anymore. According to a report from [*The South China Morning Post*](), Chinese military researchers have claimed that, for the first time, an AI-powered fighter pilot has bested humans in a real-life, close-range dogfight, winning the contest in an astonishingly short 90 seconds. The paper, according to the *SCMP*, was published last week in the Chinese journal *Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica* by a team led by professor Huang Juntao of the Chinese army's Aerodynamics Research and Development Center in Sichuan, China. "With superior calculation ability," the researchers write in their study, as quoted by the *SCMP*, "\[the AI\] can more accurately predict the development of the battle to gain the initiative in the confrontation." "The era of air combat in which artificial intelligence will be the king," they add, "is already on the horizon." ## Just Human Things According to the report, the dogfight involved two small, unmanned, fix-wing aircraft, with the only difference being that one was operated by an onboard AI pilot, while the other was remote-controlled by a human from the ground. While some challenges remain, the scientists claim the airborne battle "proved the engineering feasibility of AI piloting technology." "Aircraft with autonomous decision-making capabilities can completely outperform humans in terms of reaction speed," the study reads. Besides, as the researchers argue, the AI simply doesn't have to worry about human things, like losing oxygen to the brain during quick turns — or being afraid of death. ## AI Arms Race Of course, China isn't the only country working on getting functional AI fighter pilots into military hands. The US has been working on its own version of the tech for some time now, with one Heron Systems-developed AI [making headlines]() back in 2020 for defeating a US Air Force pilot five to zero in a ground simulation. But if that Heron Systems algorithm was a breakthrough then, this latest development, if confirmed, may represent a watershed moment for the technology. In other words, Tom Cruise's character Maverick may have been right about his concerns that drones are coming for his job in "Top Gun: Maverick." **READ MORE:** [*AI pilot beats human in landmark real-life dogfight, Chinese military researchers report*]() \[*The South China Morning Post*\] ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()