Was the VENOM F-16 flight completely unmanned?
No. A human safety pilot sat in the cockpit throughout every flight, monitoring the AI agent's performance and ready to take over if anything went wrong. This was a test and demonstration milestone with human oversight, not an unmanned combat deployment or autonomous weapons operation.
Answered in
An AI Just Flew a Real F-16 Fighter Jet — Here's What DARPA's VENOM Program Actually DidDARPA's VENOM program put an AI agent in control of a modified F-16 at Eglin Air Force Base, with a safety pilot aboard — a milestone for autonomous flight.
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