Former Navy TOPGUN instructor says the AI that defeated a human pilot in a simulated dogfight would have 'crashed and burned' in the real world

An artificial intelligence algorithm destroyed a seasoned US fighter pilot in a simulated dogfight last week, a result some expert observers say was to be expected. "I was not surprised by that outcome," Guy'Bus' Snodgrass, a former US Navy pilot and TOPGUN instructor, told Insider, arguing that the set-up of the engagement gave the AI an advantage. John "JV" Venable, a former US Air Force F-16 pilot, said the same. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) held the last 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. The AI algorithm, which had previously defeated other AI "pilots," achieved a flawless victory, winning five straight matches without the human pilot -- an experienced Air Force pilot and Weapons Instructor Course graduate with the call sign "Banger" -- ever scoring a hit.