Since the dawn of artificial intelligence, clever science fiction minds have capitalized on the possibility of it taking over the world. Films such as Terminator, Ex-Machina, and Maximum Overdrive come to mind. Writers like Stephen King and James Cameron have catapulted us into a fantasy world busy with artificial intelligence. So what happens when AI starts to behave?
Chinese Scientists Explore ChatGPT
Chinese Scientists created a language model, much like ChatGPT, that shows initiative. Some may think it is really cool until you look up the exact definition of initiative in the Oxford English Dictionary: in·i·ti·a·tive (noun) 1. the ability to assess and initiate things independently. So, what did China do with said artificial intelligence?
The Qimingxing 1 Spacecraft
China has over 260 remote satellites in orbit. However, these satellites have a short lifespan and are often idle in space. Thus, China allowed its artificial intelligence to take control of the Qimingxing 1 Spacecraft. The satellite proceeded to take a closer look at a few cities worldwide.
According to the results published in the Geomatics and Information Science Journal of Wuhan University, “One of the targeted areas was the Patna city in India housing the Bihar Regiment–the Indian Army unit that clashed with Chinese forces in the Galwan Valley in 2020. The other targeted area was Osaka, one of Japan’s busiest ports, which occasionally hosts US Navy vessels operating in the Pacific.” However, there is still no explanation for why the AI chose these cities.
What the AI-space Experiment Means for the Future
Allowing AI to take control of the satellite has broken existing rules for mission planning, such as improving image recognition, mapping out flight paths, and avoiding a collision. We are a long way from AI taking over the world because to improve space missions, AI must have a more thorough awareness of connections between humans and man-made/natural objects.
South China Morning Post explains, “The AI’s decision-making process was extremely complex. When planning a day’s work, the machine must consider many factors – such as real-time cloud conditions, camera angles, target value, and the limits of a satellite’s mobility.” However, many scientists agree that AI does not threaten humanity, as the human operator can interrupt the work if he sees a threat. For now…
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