The Air Force is embarking on an aggressive effort to use artificial intelligence in its training pipelines to shorten technical training timelines, accelerate pilot training, and teach basic AI skills to pilots across the force.
These ambitions are outlined in new guidance released Wednesday by the Air Education and Training Command, which oversees Air Force training from recruit training and basic military vocational training to advanced schools.
The coming changes could reshape not only the way pilots are trained, but also the way instructors teach and how the service interacts with its people.
This initiative follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive in January to give the military a more military-like military character “AI-first” power and aggressively removing bureaucratic barriers to technology adoption.
‘This is expected of every leader, from wing commanders to line instructors overcoming cultural resistanceforcing corporate consolidation and driving this shift within their organizations,” wrote Air Force Lt. Gen. Clark Quinn, who oversees AETC, in a foreword for the new strategic planning.
Subordinate commands have three months to figure out how to implement Quinn’s directive.
The resistance mentioned in the new guidance is not unique to the military. The use of artificial intelligence, chatbots and smart devices is booming, but many Americans remain concerned about the impact AI will have in the US.
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, approximately 50% of American adults reported using this drug AI chatbotsbut many also believe that the technology has more negative consequences than positive.
Airmen at all ranks — from new arrivals at training camp to senior officers undergoing professional military training — will see “basic data and AI literacy standards” integrated into training curricula, according to an Air Force press release about the new guidelines.
Data literacy and AI Fluency should be considered ‘core competencies’, similar to marksmanship. Whatever relevant AI training personnel undergo will be tracked with new digital skills certifications, and pilots with advanced skills will be tracked specifically for talent management, the agency said..
The Air Force’s AI push reflects a broader shift in the civilian workforce, with employers increasingly leveraging AI skills essential professional skillwith its use even being factored into certain career development considerations.
According to the guidelines, the command hopes to reduce the average training time for technical specialties by 20% by “leveraging AI-enhanced and adaptive instruction”, although it does not identify which specific career areas might be affected, nor does it provide information on what those changes in education might entail.
For the plan to all work, AETC will need to better organize the data its AI tools depend on. Soon, “Data Stewards” will serve as a new type of data manager to ensure that such “critical mission data” is cataloged.
The command hopes to accelerate how quickly new pilots can be trained by using AI to optimize flight schedules and resource allocation.
Other military schools are also looking for ways to implement AI in training. During a recent visit to the Army’s Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center, medics and physicians told Business Insider that the unit had begun using AI to track classroom data and better identify students who might be struggling or assess how to optimize their tight schedule.
