SETI Utilizes AI in the Quest for Extraterrestrial Life

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute has turned to artificial intelligence and machine learning in its quest to detect signs of alien life, according to Decrypt.

“The volume of data we generate is growing exponentially every year, and you simply cannot handle it with conventional analysis. AI and machine learning are widely used — increasingly in SETI, as well as in other scientific fields we engage in,” commented the organization’s CEO, Bill Diamond.

AI processes data from the Very Large Array in New Mexico at a rate of about three terabytes per second. Scientists are training systems to respond to signals that appear unnatural and possess certain distinctive characteristics.

Artificial intelligence has aided in detecting anomalies in space.

“Yes, they exist, but nothing that could reach the status of a confirmed technosignature. As for anomalous phenomena that may have natural origins, at some point they may yield published research results, but for now, there is still work to be done,” noted Diamond.

Experts are training neural networks on known signals and simulated data to develop a model capable of analyzing even faint suspicious transmissions.

“Instead of looking for something specific, like a narrowband carrier, we can simply say: ‘Show me something different. Show me anything that deviates from the norm,’” explained Diamond.

Co-host of the Discovery program “Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction” Mitch Horowitz noted that advancements in artificial intelligence and quantum computing could make the technology a valuable tool in the search for extraterrestrial civilizations.

However, he expressed skepticism about how much AI will help establish communication between humanity and extraterrestrial intelligence.

“As a human species, we have a long history of creating things that inform us and also mislead us,” he said.

In July, SETI Institute’s Director of Citizen Science, Franck Marchis, and NASA researcher Ignacio Lopez-Francos called for discussions on the idea of sending AI into deep space to search for extraterrestrial civilizations.