Lockheed offers $250K prize for first AI drone to beat human pilot

The AlphaPilot challenge asks participants to design AI technology that allows autonomous drones to beat human-piloted drones in a race. Drone racing could soon get a boost from AI. Lockheed Martin, the Drone Racing League and NVIDIA launched a challenge Wednesday called AlphaPilot, which asks participants to create artificial intelligence technology that allows autonomous drones to out-race human-piloted drones. "Put that computing power at the edge, and do it in such a way that it can beat those human pilots who trained months or years to get to that level," Lockheed Martin Chief Technology Officer Keoki Jackson said at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on Wednesday. The challenge opens later this year and the races will be held during the Drone Racing League's new Artificial Intelligence Robotic Racing Circuit starting next year. The grand prize winner will get $1 million.