AI will face off against human pilots in real-world fighter aircraft by 2024, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper revealed on Wednesday. The Pentagon announced the plan a month after an AI system demolished an Air Force pilot in a virtual dogfight. An algorithm developed by defense contractor Heron Systems swept a best-of-five aerial duel versus an F-16 pilot wearing a VR helmet. The new trials will test how the AI's capabilities transfer to the real world, Esper explained on Wednesday at the Pentagon's first AI Symposium: The AI agent's resounding victory demonstrated the ability of advanced algorithms to out-perform humans in virtual dogfights. To be clear, AI's role in our lethality is to support human decision-makers, not replace them.