As military technology advances, the human element of warfare becomes more detached from the overall system that is combat in the 21st Century.

While there will always be a “guy on the ground with a gun” in any futuristic military scenario, whether or not that human will be backed up by other humans remains to be seen- and the ratio of human to unmanned system becomes wider with each passing year.

The widening gap has led some to see the similarities between the fictional rogue control system of the Terminator franchise.

According to Interesting Engineering, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), is quickly becoming an issue for many on the observing side of the defense industry, particularly in the scenarios of AI going rogue or being hijacked by hostile entities.

Recently, the U.S. Air Force announced the future in the form of SkyBorg, an AI system that could control aircraft and support units.

“Though we are years away from super intelligence, the idea of creating an AI fighter jet that could eventually be controlled by superintelligent AI is terrifying” the publication read.

While SkyBorg is designed to be an AI wingman for a human pilot, the question still remains: what if the wingman goes rogue?

This article by Andy Wolf originally appeared at War is Boring in 2019.

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