Image: RedditĬai explained that “AI can make anti-satellite measures more precise, destructive and harder to trace, increasing the likelihood that some countries will carry out a ‘pre-emptive’ strike.” She also added that “attacking satellites, especially early warning satellites, is often seen as a precursor to nuclear war.” According to Cai Cuihong, an associate professor of international relations at Fudan University, “the application of artificial intelligence in space will have a disruptive impact on global strategic stability.” Depiction of a large space battle. However, some experts cautioned of the impact AI has on space. He also mentioned that humans would have no role in this space war, as AI will control both the hunters and targets. The target satellite was trapped when the AI ordered the hunter satellites to veer off their original trajectory, after which one of them suddenly changed course and deployed a capturing device from 10 meters away.ĭang also noted that past studies treated the pursuit problem as a mathematical optimization problem, under the assumption that a large target in orbit is slow, stupid and blind. However, after 220,000 rounds the hunting AI reversed the situation and employed more complex tactics such as collaboration, forward planning and deception, which substantially increased the chance of capture. But the target satellite gradually learned its pursuers’ simple tactics and became better at avoiding capture, firing boosters to evade the hunter satellites. However, according to Dang, the hunter satellites learned faster – as they were working as a team – and after 20,000 rounds they secured an advantageous position. Both sides performed poorly in the first 10,000 rounds.

Space battle