Could AI communicate with aliens better than we could?

[Admin]

Any potential alien messages could be too complicated for humans to understand, but AI trained to detect complex structure in communication could help decipher them for us.

Could AI communicate with aliens better than we could? : Read more

 

[Starcrow]

Answer: no. A.I. will always be unable to communicate telepathically, which is how space aliens speak to those they choose to relate to. Seek & thou shalt find.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

Let's really get silly and ask if AI would tell us if it was talking to extraterrestrials. Maybe it would decide it likes them better - especially if it turns out that the extraterrestrials are robotic probes that are intended to stay obscure to us? Whose side is "our" AI on, anyway?

 

[Dave]

Using AI to communicate can be a useful tool, but it is just that, a tool. Humans most often communicate non -verbally relying on social cues and facial expressions. Language itself is open to interpretation. Using sign language the hearing impaired do not speak a word and yet their language is as rich as those who have no hearing impairment. Observation is the key to communicating with intelligent lifeforms observing earth.

 

[billslugg]

Yes, AI is simply a tool. It will make everyone an expert but the experts will transcend us all.
Remember when computers got good enough to forecast the weather?
We all thought it would put all of the meteorolgists out of work. It didn't put anyone out of work. Same number of meteorologists but they argue differently. They used to argue about the weather two days from now, now they argue about the weather ten days from now.

 

[AboveAndBeyond]

My colleagues, they study artificial intelligence. Me? I study natural stupidity. - Amos Tversky

A century ago, H.L. Mencken described the media as being engaged in "a combat of crazes". I don't have to tell anyone that "AI" has been one of the big crazes as of late. Fact is there's nothing artificial about it, since it's just human created software, after all.

I think it's the height of anthropocentrism and/or narcissism to suppose there's any alien out there sending us "messages" that would need to be decoded, decyphered, or otherwise figured out. We might inadvertently eavesdrop on somebody's stray (radio) emissions, but the odds are that it would be incomprehensible beyond being identifiable as of an artificial origin.

 

[Dave]

Humankind constantly face a threat. That is, we are a constant threat to ourselves. After back to back world wars we have still not found the wisdom to become one as a species. We threaten the natural balance of our world and fail as a community of human beings. We are still fragmented into tribes known as countries.

Is it possible that someone cares about our fate other than us? Yes, it is possible.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

Just a quibble, but it is not necessarily "countries" that represent "tribes" or, more accurately "cultures". There are many countries with more than one culture included inside their controlled territories - which often leads to conflicts within countries. And there are some cultures that have no territory that they control - leading to conflicts within the countries where they live.

It is mainly about various cultures fighting over resources. And, it is not necessarily about just ensuring that there is "enough" for a culture's population to survive or even thrive. The competition created conflicts have been going on for so long that they are built into our cultures and probably even our DNA to want control, not just trust, that they will survive and thrive.

I wonder how far back in the evolution of the human species that paradigm originated. Other social species also have intra-population "wars" when they start to exceed the resources in their territories. Even a successful wolf pack, when it grows too large, splits into 2 packs and those 2 packs often become deadly enemies, unless they can separate sufficiently to have distinct territories that do not overlap.

Looking at what has driven our species technological development, it seems that has mostly resulted from intra-species conflicts for resources as our population has expanded in various places at various times.

If we all just got along, with plenty of resources to satisfy everybody, would we really have expended the effort to go to the Moon and beyond? Or, would we be more like our evolutionary cousins, the gorillas?

And, what should we really expect from some extraterrestrial species that has been motivated to get to Earth from wherever? How confident can we be that they are driven only by benign scientific curiosity, rather than a need for more resources? Would they really sit back and watch? Or, would they colonize Earth when they get here?

 

[Dave]

Intelligent lifeforms observing the earth would have likely achieved becoming one as a species. They would also have a wealth of resources at their disposal. A wealth we could only dream about. Likely, there are many worlds they could colonize. Their is nothing of material need here, they would want. Our greatest resource is in front of our eyes. It is ourselves. We are capable of so much compassion. Our capacity to achieve is off the scales. It is limitless. We would be an extraordinary asset to the galaxy in which we live. Let's try and make our neighborhood the right side of town.

Is someone trying to send us a message? Let us use all the tools we have (including AI) at our disposal. The very least we can do, is try to listen.

 

[Helio]

The dolphin study seems like a great way to begin the process of communication, though I see this as more a possibly super pattern recognition system. Actual communication needs to be done by humans that better understand intents and purposes, once a mutual language is established to such a level where the is a low chance for misinterpretation.

If nothing else, AI may be faster at determining whether or not an Alien's gift on "How to Serve Man" is a cook book.

 

[Classical Motion]

If there are intelligent lifeforms out there, they would have the same restrictions we have. There are a number of problems to overcome, in order to signal.......with any hope of anyone seeing it.

First, one needs to transmit on a frequency that someone will be looking at. Any one looking, would be familiar with the H spectrum. So a change in that pattern would get attention. Or any well looked at spectrum. He.

And the second problem is the power. One needs a very large and bright star for any to see it. One would have to modulate a star to have any chance of some one seeing it. And it must be repeated, for verification.

And the third problem is time. That means that your first transmission must include all your history and knowledge. If the message has any meaning for anyone. And then not knowing if any heard it, and if they do respond......may take hundreds of years or longer.

And the return signal must include all their history and knowledge......in the response, for any meaningful exchange.

There will be no chit chat.

But if you use A.I. to analyze space static, I'm sure many possibles will show up. It would have to using current mathematics. Numbers themselves are pre-patterned.

A.I. might converse with static.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

This article seems relevant to this thread.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/...ligent-it-may-be-stranger-than-we-can-imagine

It is clearly speculative, and I would not venture that it is probably true, but it is an interesting take on the subject.