Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!bellcore!att!cbnews!military From: gardiner@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU (David Gardiner) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Fighters: Computer vs. Person as "Guy in Back" Keywords: AI, fighters Message-ID: <8520@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 22 Jul 89 04:44:46 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Lines: 55 Approved: military@att.att.com From: gardiner@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU (David Gardiner) The recent discussions in various newsgroups (particularly rec.aviation) as well as the media on fly-by-wire lead to some general questions about computers and aircraft. As many sci.military readers know, there is much research into using intelligent computer systems to assist fighter pilots. The best known of these projects is the Pilot's Assistant being developed by Texas Instruments, I believe. (I do not know the exact status of this project but believe that it continues -- someone can undoubtedly correct any mistakes I make and add details). The question that I pose is: What are the comparative advantages of using a computer vs. a person? Also, how do fighter pilots feel about this issue, even assuming that the computer interface was good. The list of relative advantages that I have come up with so far is: 1) The computer saves space and weight, allowing a smaller aircraft and/or more fuel and/or weapons. 2) The computer will be more consistent than a person in doing the things it is supposed to do (i.e. if it is supposed to keep track of fuel state, it won't forget). 3) A person has eyes and, assuming s/he knows how to use them, is incomparably better for spotting than any computer vision system in existance. 4) While expert systems are neat gizmos, I have serious doubts about their ability to make life or death decisions in novel situations. Everything I have read about flying fighters indicates that there is no substitute for experience, and computer systems have limited learning capabilities at best. 5) Price. Which is cheaper, developing a high tech GIB (guy in back) or building bigger planes with two seats? I don't know. Consider also the price of training a human GIB. 6) If a plane gets shot down,crashes, etc. you only lose one person if the GIB is a computer. This has lots of economic, moral, political, etc. effects. 7) A computer won't leave the military to join the airlines (if they get _that_ good, we AI researchers will have made alot of progress :-) David Gardiner gardiner@umn-cs -- ========================================================== David A. Gardiner | "Lately there has been an University of Minnesota | alarming increase in things gardiner@umn-cs | about which I know nothing."