The US Air Force is testing a self-flying F-16 fighter jet — and is sending its boss up as a passenger

• The US Air Force is testing AI jets and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will be a passenger.
• "There will be a pilot with me who will just be watching," Kendall said.
• The jets were designed with a future China conflict in mind, AP reported.

The US Air Force is testing a self-flying F-16 fighter jet, and it's so confident in the technology that it is sending its boss up as a passenger.

Associated Press reported that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall had volunteered to be a passenger in a self-flying F-16 to see how it performs.

"There will be a pilot with me who will just be watching, as I will be, as the autonomous technology works," Kendall said during a Senate Appropriations Committee defense panel on Tuesday.

"Hopefully neither he or I will be needed to fly the airplane," Kendall added.

The technology, if successful, could be smarter, more efficient, and more affordable than manually operated aircraft.

The Daily Mail reported in March that the US Air Force had ordered a fleet consisting of 1,000 AI-operated drones that would be able to "perform riskier maneuvers" than manual aircraft.

It is likely to cost between $10 and $20 million per plane, which is far less than traditional manual aircraft, the publication said. The aircraft will be made using inexpensive materials with the intention of flying a couple of missions before being destroyed, AP reported.

Meanwhile, a new manned F-35 costs $100 million, while a B-21 bomber is $750 million, according to one Daily Mail estimate.

These factors could be significant to the US' success in future warfare. The fleet was specifically designed with the consideration of a potential future conflict with China, AP reported.

The Pentagon is expected to choose two companies to build the technology by this summer, with the goal of having hundreds of aircraft completed within the next five years, the Daily Mail said.

Though it appears to have benefits, fully autonomous systems have also faced backlash from those who are concerned about the dangers of relying on AI to make strategic decisions.

As Business Insider previously reported, AI-weapon critics, including the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, have referred to the technology as "slaughterbots," criticizing the lack of algorithmic decision-making which they said could increase the risk of rapid conflict escalation.

In 2019, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said "machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be prohibited by international law."

The Air Force did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.