Air Force Turns to Wargames to Test AI-Powered Technologies

The Air Force Futures office is testing artificial intelligence-enabled platforms in wargames to gain a better idea of their effectiveness in real-life scenarios. 

Speaking at a recent virtual event hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Lt. Gen. David Harris, deputy chief of staff of Air Force Futures, said that wargaming allows the office to run multiple iterations in one turn to determine which of them offers the most optimal solution. 

The use of gaming aligns with a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, highlighting how wargames are a laboratory to test decision-making, DefenseScoop reported.

AI has found many uses at the service branch. Eileen Vidrine, chief data and artificial intelligence officer at the Department of the Air Force and a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, unveiled in June 2023 a plan to ensure that the Air Force is ready to adopt the technology by 2025 and is AI-competitive by 2027.

Besides AI, the military branch also plans to use next-generation drones called collaborative combat aircraft to assist crewed fighter jets or operate independently in a so-called “untethered” mission.