Artificial Intelligence And The Human Connection w/Col Tucker “CINCO” Hamilton

Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton is an Experimental Fighter Test Pilot by trade and currently the Department of the Air Force Chief if AI Test and Operations. Additionally, he is the Commander of the 96th Operations Group, Eglin AFB, FL. Cinco started his career as an operational F-15C pilot. He supported multiple Red Flag Exercises and real-world Operation Noble Eagle missions where he protected the President of the United States; at times escorting Air Force One. He served as an Air Liaison Officer in Germany where he was the director of operations for a key command and control squadron. While serving in Germany he was hand-selected to be the initial cadre for the first MC-12 squadron in Afghanistan; heralding in one of the first tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircraft. He served as the Chief Instructor for 200+ aircrew and accumulated over 400 combat hours directly supporting ground forces. After his time in the MC-12 he attended Test Pilot School (TPS) where he flew 30 different aircraft and took part in the first Automatic Air Collision Avoidance System testing. After TPS graduation he became an F-15C and F-15E Instructor Experimental Test Pilot. He served near the Pentagon as a Program Manager for the Joint Strike Fighter, F-35, overseeing the entire flight test effort for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marines. He managed an 18 test-aircraft fleet of specially equipped F-35s across multiple operating locations with a $3B budget. After his program manager assignment, he took command of the 1,000-person unit that executed F-35 flight test. He then became the Director of the Department of the Air Force and MIT AI Accelerator, Cambridge, MA. Cinco has more than 2,000 flying hours in the F-35A/B/C, F-15C/D/E, F-18, F-16, A-10, T-38A/C, T-34, T-6, and 20 additional aircraft. Cinco also founded STEM-ED in 2013 after seeing a need in his local community to support educators. His passion extended into wanting to provide an exciting and interactive high-school competition – leading him to co-found the Aerospace Robotics Competition (ARC)