Op-Ed: China vs US AI in space – China’s Wukong spacewalk raises the bar for AI performance\” />

For all the talk about “AI dominance”, AI is supposed to be useful. China has just made that point very emphatically with the Wukong spacesuit.

“Wukong” is named after Sun Wukong, also known as the famous Monkey King of Chinese folklore and modern media.

The character Monkey is intelligent and agile. So, apparently, is the spacesuit. The AI system provides guidance and an instant point of information, and any required reference for operational needs.

The inevitable use of AI in space has taken long enough to get started. The Tiangong space station is the ideal platform for testing and assessment. Spacewalks have always been demanding and situationally challenging. It’s asking a lot of a Large Language Model to comprehend and react to this environment.

This is a true test of capability for AI in a much broader context. This sort of work requires more than a scripted chatbot. You can also appreciate that this environment is likely to require fast and appropriate responses in real time.  

It’s also a significant contrast with current news about NASA’s AI, which seems largely focused on medical support. NASA does have a wide-ranging AI program, but apparently not yet involved directly in operations.

This is where “AI dominance” doesn’t and can’t even have a definition yet. It’s also why so many pundits and professional techno-cynics don’t buy the hype. Let’s keep it simple.

I must ask AI professionals to tolerate a recital of the obvious:

Chatbot mode is a truly awful, utterly misleading impression of AI capabilities.

Interacting with humans is hardly a definition of efficient communication.

If the outcome of a situation is the difference between a good prompt and a bad prompt, is the AI even able to perform at best, if it’s handicapped by human interactions?

One of the biggest problems with AI is the constant and utterly useless “new toy” mode reportage and terminology. Meaningless expressions like “AI dominance” don’t help, either.

AI is barely at the Proterozoic stage of development. The biggest risk of AI isn’t some terrible alien intelligence. It’s misrepresenting its values on so many levels and “stunting its growth”.

The kind of people who can’t see anything without a dollar sign in front of it or some sort of technological ego fodder can’t manage AI at all. They certainly shouldn’t be directing policy,

AI is a critical tool, like fire and the wheel.

A dysfunctional tool is a total liability.

In space, whether anybody can hear you scream about overrated tech or not, liabilities are not an option. AI in space must prove it can do every job required of it. Functionality and reliability are the only criteria for success.

This is where Wukong, NASA, and future AIs will have to deliver real practical value. There’s a very strong argument for China and the US getting on the same page here.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.