Elon Musk believes the era of fighter jets is over and future warfare will be carried out by autonomous drones.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO made the prediction while speaking with US Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson at the Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida on Friday.
‘Drone warfare is where the future will be. It’s not that I want the future to be – it’s just, this is what the future will be,’ the billionaire said.
Musk also believes that Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet, is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons system, should have a competitor – and specifically a ‘drone fighter plane’, according to CNBC.
Musk’s reason for suggesting new technology is he is concerned the US may fall behind other nations when it comes to battle weapons if officials do not look to new innovations.
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Elon Musk believes the era of fighter jets is over and future warfare will be done by autonomous drones. ‘Drone warfare is where the future will be. It’s not that I want the future to be – it’s just, this is what the future will be,’ the billionaire said
‘This is not something that was a risk in times past but is a risk now,’ Musk said. ‘I have zero doubt that if the United States doesn’t seek innovation in space it will be second in space.’
Musk also believes the Chinese economy will eventually beat the US ‘by at least two-fold.’
‘A thing that will feel pretty strange is that the Chinese economy is probably going to be at least twice as big as the United States’ economy, maybe three times,’ Musk said.
‘The foundation of war is economics,’ Musk said.

Musk also believes that Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet (pictured), is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons system, should have a competitor – and specifically a ‘drone fighter plane’
‘If you have half the resources of the counterparty then you better be real innovative, if you’re not innovative, you’re going to lose.’
Although many may disregard what the billionaire has to say, his words echo that of a report from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence released last November.
The group, in the report, urges officials to developed AI-powered security and defense technologies before the US falls victim to increased cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and the erosion of individual privacy and civil liberties.
The interim report was released in November, with the final report set to be out sometime this year.
This document is set to be handed to the US Secretary of Defense soon and includes key steps the government can take to position the US in the top spot.

Although many may disregard what the billionaire has to say, his words echo that of a report from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence released last November. The group, in the report, urges officials to developed AI-powered security and defense technologies before the US falls victim to increased cyberattacks
‘We are concerned that America’s role as the world’s leading innovator is threatened,’ wrote commission chairman (and former Google CEO) Eric Schmidt and vice chairman Robert Work in the report’s introduction.
‘We know strategic competitors are investing in research and applications.’
‘It is only reasonable to conclude that AI-enabled capabilities could be used to threaten our critical infrastructure, amplify disinformation campaigns and wage war.’
China, which the reports names as the ‘most serious strategic competitor’ has declared its mission to become the world leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by 2030 – and has pledged to $150 billion from now until then in order to see that it happens.

China has also been found by national security and law enforcement officials that China is extracting AI knowledge and technology from the United States to undermine our strategic advantages
However, the the document also highlights areas where the country is using the technology for evil and not to protect itself from foreign invaders.
China uses the technology to ‘build a dystopian surveillance state, and aspires to create social credit systems that assign people to ‘blacklist’ based on who they communicate with, where they travel, what they buy and how they use their mobile phones’.
It has also been found by national security and law enforcement officials that China is extracting AI knowledge and technology from the United States to undermine our strategic advantages.
While China is using AI to infiltrate databases and people’s lives, Russia is using it to develop high-tech war machines.

While China is using AI to infiltrate databases and people’s lives, Russia is using it to develop high-tech war machines. In March of this year, Russia unveiled an army of ‘killer robots’ that will assist infantry on the battlefield in propaganda footage (pictured)
‘Russia has already fielded armed robotic vehicles with autonomous features on the battlefield in support of a brutal dictator without evident regard for ethical considerations,’ reads the report.
‘It will almost certainly use AI to accelerate its efforts to violate the sovereignty of other states using hybrid warfare’.
In March of this year, Russia unveiled an army of ‘killer robots’ that will assist infantry on the battlefield in propaganda footage.
The video, released by the Kremlin, appeared to showcase the state’s latest drone technology that includes AI-controlled driverless tank, which follow the aim of a soldier’s rifle to obliterate targets with its own weaponry.
Russia’s Advanced Research Foundation (ARF) said the ultimate goal is to have an army of robots entirely controlled by Artificial Intelligence algorithms – technology far out of the US’s reach.
The preliminary report has laid out steps the US government can take in order to avoid falling victim to China’s and Russia’s AI capabilities.
The first effort is to invest in AI research and development, followed by using the technology in national security mission, then train and recruit AI talent.
It also suggests putting forth an effort towards building upon exiting technology and marshaling global AI corporations.in order to build AI partnerships with other like-minded nations.