AI Pilots and Autonomous Spacecraft

Technology is changing day in day out and it is very interesting to observe the extent to which we are. Previously, one would believe that visiting space was something unattainable, but nowadays it has become a reality and we have deployed numerous space missions into space to accomplish different functions. However, the question is now, is it possible to make spacecrafts completely autonomous with the assistance of artificial intelligence? They say that AI is capable of working with spacecrafts in most of the cases better than people, however, is it safe to leave AI to its own devices when it comes to such serious missions? Let me share my thoughts on it.

Today, the AI technology has evolved to the extent that it can perform numerous functions that humans struggle to accomplish. AI is faster because it can calculate large quantities of data in few seconds and it does not require rest as human beings do. Due to that, most individuals assume that AI pilots may be superior to human pilots in spacecraft missions. I believe it is rather true. Consider a space ship that is heading to Mars, it will take a few months to get to Mars. There are a lot of things that may happen during the journey, and it is necessary to act in case of emergency situations. The AI is able to analyze the situation quicker than a human being and is capable of making decisions in a second. Of course, it does not appear that he has a bad idea using AI which could control autonomous spacecraft.

However I must ask a question on this. Can we trust AI completely? I don't think so. AI is designed by people and it operates using information and codes supplied by people. What would it do in case the AI is confronted with a scenario that is not captured in its programming or training databases? At that, the AI can not make the correct decision, and it can be risky to the mission. The human pilots possess something which the AI lacks and that is intuition and the capability to think creatively in unpredictable circumstances. In my opinion, therefore, relying on AI alone with spacecraft missions is a rather risky endeavor.

I will take an example. Consider an independent spacecraft flying in space and it suddenly experiences certain technical issue that has never been experienced before. AI will attempt to answer it according to its software, however, what should it do in case the answer is not in the database? When a human pilot is in such a situation, he/she can think differently, and he/she can attempt something new and find a solution to the problem. This is the virtue that humans possess compared to AI. In my view, therefore, AI can help human pilots, but at the current moment, the idea to replace everyone with AI and have no human pilots is not a good solution.

Another thing now crosses my mind. In the future, should we give AI full control of spacecrafts? I believe that over time, AI will evolve, and who knows, soon it can be developed to an extent that it can deal independently with missions of spacecrafts. However, until this day, I believe that AI should be used as an adjuvant to human pilots rather than as their substitution. Human intelligence combined with the artificial intelligence can be the most successful. Human beings are able to make decisions using experience and intuition whereas AI is able to present data and analysis to be used in making the decisions. Collegiately, they can ensure space missions are safer and more successful.

Conclusively, I believe that technology is good, and AI has an enormous potential in space exploration, but we should not hurry to make everything totally autonomous. I suppose, we have to experiment AI systems more and more in various scenarios before we can fully rely on them in cases of significant missions. There are too many uncertainties in space and we are not able to foresee all that may occur there. Therefore, it is best to have a balance between the human control and AI help at present.

Furthermore, I believe that the most important thing is the safety of astronauts and successful completion of the mission. When AI can make that happen, then it is good, but in case there is a risk associated with it, then we should be cautious. In my opinion, AI pilots and autonomous spacecraft will gain popularity in the future, though at present, it is necessary to retain people in the loop. What do you think about it?

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