As World Space Week 2023 approaches, Space.com looks at the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on astronomy and space exploration as we celebrate the 66th anniversary of the Space Age. Here, John Loeffler explains how AI companions can help maintain the mental health of astronauts on deep space missions.
In one of the more hilarious scenes in Christopher Nolan’s tense film Interstellar, four Endurance astronauts set off on the film’s mission to save humanity. Riding with them is a nifty AI named TARS who jokes that he’s looking forward to using them all as servants in his robot colony, and Matthew McConaughey’s character takes over the conversation. I’m praying that I can get back to the ship if the airlock gets blown out. return.
634-257 McConaughey’s Cooper, who is told that TARS has a humor algorithm programmed for the benefit of the humans on board, asks TARS what the humor level is set to and immediately tells the AI ordered the scale to be lowered a little.
Like much of “Interstellar,” director Nolan took great pains to imagine what the future of deep space exploration would be like. His AI companion to the human astronaut is as important to that vision as Gargantua, the film’s epic black hole set piece. That in itself becomes an important character in the film.
Back on Earth, NASA, the European Space Agency, and various private space companies have all announced plans for the project as a key part of future space missions, including the upcoming Artemis moon mission and, ultimately, the first manned mission to Mars. We are focusing on artificial intelligence. But as humanity moves deeper into space, these AI systems are not just tools to help carry out operational missions; they are experiencing the most unique social isolation situation humanity has ever experienced. It has the potential to provide vital emotional and mental health support to crew members.
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Mental health challenges unique to deep space
Space is notoriously a very lonely place, and the unique environment of low Earth orbit is enough to have a dramatic impact on the mental health of space travelers. William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, said he expected to feel “the ultimate catharsis” when he flew into space aboard the Blue Origin rocket in 2021. , who instead said he was shaken by intense sadness.
“It was one of the strongest feelings of sadness I have ever encountered,” Shatner wrote. variety A year after his trip. “The contrast between the frigid cold of space and the warmth of the earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness.”
Other astronauts have described similar experiences. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin described the moon’s surface as “an epic devastation.” 2014 Reddit AMA.
“I realized that what I was seeing toward the horizon, in all directions, had not changed in hundreds or thousands of years,” Aldrin writes. “Beyond me, I saw the moon curve away. There was no atmosphere, just a black sky. It was cold. Colder than anyone experiences on Earth when the sun is up. But , it gets very, very hot when the sun is up for 14 days. No.” Any sign of life.
“It’s a desolate place. More desolate than any place on earth.”
Although the human mind is not built for this kind of environment, it is not impossible to adapt, as countless space travelers to the ISS and beyond have proven. But the mental health challenges of space travel are just as important, if not more important, than physical health issues.
“Deep space travel will present unique challenges to crew members, challenges that are inherently different from those currently experienced in orbit,” said Element Scientist, Behavioral Health and Performance Component of NASA’s Human Research Program. Alexandra Whitmire told Space.com.
Mental health problems are rarely reported among astronauts on space missions, but they do occur.a 2016 NASA Report A study on the psychological effects of space shuttle missions found 34 cases of notable “behavioral signs or symptoms” among 208 crew members over 89 missions, and the overall incidence over a 14-day mission. was 0.11 and the most commonly reported symptoms were: “Anxiety and irritability.”
Apply this to a two-year round trip to Mars, and you see an environment where at least some level of interpersonal conflict and stress is almost guaranteed.
That’s understandable. Ask anyone who has ever gone on a road trip with their family for more than a few hours, and they’ll tell you that anger can flare up quickly.
“For example, considering the distance to Mars, the duration of such a mission would last about two and a half years. The size of the vehicle would be relatively small, and a crew of four or six people would stay and work for two and a half years. “This suggests that they were trapped in a confined habitat for six months,” Whitmire said.
A road trip through a cold, lifeless void where you are one step away from breaking a seal that will drag you into some kind of doom? Astronauts need all the help they can get to maintain their mental health.
Can empathetic AI help space travelers maintain their mental health?
While most of us may be tempted to ignore the value of deep space AI as a mental health tool for astronauts (after all, AI will not replace humans), astronauts has significant potential to alleviate mental health. People whose mission is to live on a moon base or on Mars.
Naturally, no one suggests that these explorers travel alone, and not just for safety reasons. As social animals, close contact with other humans is an essential part of our mental health, and even advanced artificial intelligence is unlikely to be able to replace human-to-human connection.
Still, NASA and ESA have been considering bringing in AI “crews” to help relieve stress for some time. In 2018, Airbus and IBM partnered with ESA on a floating AI for the International Space Station called Crew Interactive Mobile Companion (CIMON). The results were mixed, to say the least.
In fact, CIMON’s biggest drawback was its general lack of empathic responses, making it more like a floating Alexa smart speaker than an empathetic AI. But other AI companies are looking to bring this empathetic element into future AI and hopefully close this gap.
Meanwhile, NASA is actively investigating whether such AI “companions” for astronauts could be useful for future missions to the Moon or Mars, but Whitmire said that’s not evidence-based. Emphasize that it must be done.
“Research is underway to inform the mitigation strategies needed to support astronauts in connection with these future missions, including missions to the Moon and Mars,” she said. “AI as a digital ‘companion’ is an area of potential interest, but before recommendations are made it is important to understand how and to what extent this type of support will be provided, and the potential pitfalls. Further research is needed on the use of AI as a behavioral health intervention. ”
But artificial intelligence doesn’t have to replace our human companions to be useful. Just as keeping a diary can be an important mental health exercise, interacting with artificial intelligence can serve much the same purpose, or even create a universe in which artificial intelligence suffers from some of the negative mental health effects. It would prove even more useful if specific prompts could be provided to help guide the aviators. Deep space isolation.
“Given that future Mars missions will involve long periods of extreme isolation, AI social support tools, if proven effective, will add to the preparedness toolkit available to future Mars mission crews.” “It could work as part of that,” Whitmire said. “For some crew members, an AI ‘companion’ may provide a safe sounding board, but for many crew members, audio and visual loops connect them with their families and provide support to the crew during missions. Your team can stay cohesive.The goal is to provide a set of evidence-based mitigation strategies to support crew health and performance, and our AI companions can provide effective and meaningful countermeasures. If that proves to be the case, there could be a role for AI companions in the countermeasure toolkit.”
Still, at the end of the day, there is no substitute for human connections, and NASA is keenly aware of this.
“In my view, AI may serve as a tool to support future crews, but it cannot replace the need to contact loved ones back home or to support crew members. , I think it’s just going to be a support tool. It’s a cohesiveness for the crew on a mission,” Whitmire said. “Nothing has convinced me of this more than experiencing the coronavirus quarantine, as we have all become increasingly reliant on the use of technology to stay more connected. But we have realized that there is just as much an essential need to maintain direct human contact as much as possible.
“So while I think AI has the potential to provide support and also enhance measurement and diagnostics, our mission[to support the mental health of future crews]is still primarily It remains human-centered and human-driven.”