A US Air Force F-16 pilot just battled AI in 5 simulated dogfights, and the machine emerged victorious every time

An AI algorithm piloting an F-16 Fighting Falcon in a simulated dogfight against a seasoned US Air Force pilot achieved a flawless victory with five straight wins in a fierce competition Thursday, according to multiple reports. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) held the final round of its third and final AlphaDogfight competition Thursday, putting an AI system designed by Heron Systems against a human pilot in a "simulated within-visual-range air combat" situation. Heron's AI went head-to-head with a graduate of the Air Force's Weapons Instructor Course with the callsign "Banger," according to Breaking Defense. A expert commentator, DARPA's Justin Mock, said that the AI algorithm demonstrated "superhuman aiming ability" during the dogfight. During the fight, the human pilot never scored a single hit.