SKYNET SMILES: Lockheed test-flies F-35 with artificial intelligence to quickly ID unknown contacts.

“The successful demonstration … marks the first time a tactical AI model has been used in flight to generate an independent Combat ID on the pilot’s display,” the company said in its release.

The Lockheed release was sparse on details of how the AI works, but it said that during a test at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada, “a Lockheed Martin-built and trained AI/machine learning model resolved ID ambiguities among emitters, improving situational awareness and reducing pilot decision making latency.” In a military context, “emitters” typically refers to radio-frequency emissions from communications systems and radars, as opposed to infrared or optical sensing.

The AI identification algorithm was compact enough to run on the F-35’s onboard computers. Then, back on the ground, Lockheed said engineers “used an automated tool to label new emitters, retrain the AI model to learn the new emitter class within minutes, and reload the updated model for the next flight, all in the same mission planning cycle.”

Just keep the human pilot in the loop, OK?