AI-controlled fighter jets may be closer than we think — and would change the face of warfare

Could we be on the verge of an era where fighter jets take flight without pilots – and are controlled by artificial intelligence (AI)? US R Adm Michael Donnelly recently said that an upcoming combat jet could be the navy’s last one with a pilot in the cockpit. That marks a striking, if not entirely surprising, shift in thinking about the future of aerial warfare.

The US Navy is not alone. Other programmes to develop next generation fighter jets are also touting uncrewed options as…