Artificial intelligence is seeking to displace living people once again, this latest instance being in the competitive drone racing scene.
Researchers at the University of Zurich developed a new AI algorithm called “Swift” that was trained by deep reinforcement learning programming. According to Interesting Engineering, ‘This approach uses rewards during trial and error in simulation to hasten up the learning process. The AI system was trained using data from a real-world race track designed by a professional drone-racing pilot, and took not more than 50 minutes for the training to be complete.’
The then fully-trained AI drone was then set loose against two other drone racing champions of international leagues, after giving the champions a week to practice the course in preparation for the head-to-head matchup.
‘Out of the 25 races held between the system and its human racers, 15 were won by the AI, which also clocked the fastest time on the course, which was half a second faster than the one set by a human,’ Interesting Engineering noted…
