Borescope is currently the most applied non-destructive testing method in the process of aero-engine inspections and is the only way to obtain borescope images. In recent years, artificial intelligence methods such as deep learning have been applied to aero-engine damage classification and detection, some effective methods are proposed to achieve intelligent inspection of aero engines which have significant value for industrial applications. Summarizes the benefits and the disadvantages of aero-engine borescope inspection and its development, the progress in the application of artificial intelligence methods such as expert system and machine learning to engine borescope detection images, and some of the challenges in achieving intelligent aero-engine borescope inspection.