Alien hunters 'should look for artificial intelligence'

[dipsydoodle]

A senior astronomer has said that the hunt for alien life should take into account alien "sentient machines".

Seti, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has until now sought radio signals from worlds like Earth.

But Seti astronomer Seth Shostak argues that the time between aliens developing radio technology and artificial intelligence (AI) would be short.

Writing in Acta Astronautica, he says that the odds favour detecting such alien AI rather than "biological" life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11041449

[LARED]

1. Maybe we should focus on something more challenging

Like finding intelligent life in Washington.

[AndyA]

3. I suspect that would be a waste of time.

Sad, isn't it?

I'm proud to say I've never had any p*liticans in my family!

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Huh? Just how do we find this AI?

[Occulus]

4. It finds us

We will be probably able to build exactly such a device within maybe twenty years or so, and certainly eventually at some point in the near future. It would need (among other things) a fusion reactor, ion engine (or better), the ability to self-replicate and self-repair, and the AI necessary to productively react to and interact with objects around it, and relate that information back to its source. The thing about AI is, will we recognize it when we see it? It doesn't even have to be ET AI either; that could as easily apply to any we ourselves build as I first suggested.

Looks like someone read "Manifold: Space". The SETI astronomer was describing Baxter's Gaijin "race".

[hunter]

5. I'm guessing they'd look a lot like dust.

Once you've got an innovative AI that understands it's own engineering and quantum physics it can make itself very much smaller.

The rings of Saturn might harbor entire AI civilizations.

[derby378]

6. As an aside, ACTA ASTRONAUTICA is a really fun journal

Subscription rates are, well, astronomical - but occasionally you can find back issues up for grabs at more down-to-earth prices.

[dimbear]

7. In most of the possibly relevant Sci-Fi

the AI finds us instead, and the results aren't pretty. It's hard enough to form friendships between species, one supposes.