What happens if aliens are artificial intelligence?

Until now, the journey to find extraterrestrial life still assumes that our cosmic neighbors are organic creatures. But what happens if they are artificial intelligence ?

For more than a century, we have broadcast signals to the universe to inform aliens about the presence of humans on Earth. This year, the signals faded from one of the first events in the world - the Olympics organized by the Nazi government in 1936 - to some planets with potential for survival. The first season of the TV series " Game of Thrones" also reached the planet closest to the Solar System.

So why does life outside of Earth not communicate with humans?

There are many clear explanations for this question. Maybe no intelligent alien aliens in the nearby universe are right in front of our eyes, or perhaps aliens never go beyond the " unthinking " microbial slime Or based on information transmission - aliens have concluded that it will be safer to stay away from people. However, there is another explanation: " Alien life is nothing like us ."

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfeatures/wm/live/976_549/images/live/p0/48/p6/p048p66p.jpg
An assumption is that aliens can create intelligent algorithms that are not near us. Photo source: iStock

" If we get a signal, we should not expect it to be an alien-like aliens like the squid somewhere behind the microphone on the other end, " Seth Shostak - a traveler Long-time cosmological work in the aliens search organization Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti ).

Seti organization has been actively searching for signs of intelligent life outside of Earth for more than half a century. Although there are signals that are full of " suggestive ", there are no results at all. However, Shostak believes that we should consider the possibility of looking into the future and imagine what aliens look like.

" Perhaps one of the most important things we are doing is developing our successor. If it is possible to develop artificial intelligence over the past few hundred years of inventing radio waves, then much the possibility that any aliens who can catch the signal have already passed that milestone, "Shostak said.

" In other words, I think most of the artificial intelligence in the universe is synthetic intelligence and that will disappoint any audience looking forward to meeting small gray creatures with big eyes. No clothes, no hair or no sense of humor, "Shostak added.

This argument holds that the first creators of Als artificial intelligence are gray creatures, extremely intelligent in every way, emotional plants or anything similar - no longer exist. at.

" Yes, they may be, but when you develop artificial intelligence, you can use it to develop generations of thoughtful creatures and more - within 50 years you not only have More machines are smarter than any previously invented machine, of course smarter than all human minds combined , 'Shostak admitted.

Those who expect aliens who are gray like in science fiction movies may be disappointed.Photo source: ISTOCK

" A big question, is whether artificial intelligence is self-conscious and self-defining, and then decides not to need biological people to create it anymore ?" The universe and author of " Search for Earth's Twin" , Stuart Clark said.

From the self-aware machines of Berserker's books to the robots in the movie " Battlestar Galactica" or "Sci-fi" sci-fi film, of course There is also a dense line of artificial intelligence - objects that occupy the position and then find ways to destroy those who created them. However, this is an inevitable path of any technology civilization.

Artificial intelligence - machines that really think with super synthetic brains, are even an utopian thought.

" I'm not sure if that happens or not, but it's important that we're looking for something that is quite similar to me and that makes us limit our search results ," Clark said.

Seti organization uses a series of telescopes to broadcast radio in California to search for signals. The receiver is directed to the star system where the planets are discovered or used by space telescopes such as NASA's Kepler Observatory. The planets with the sea, including liquids and atmospheres can develop life, along with conditions that promote human evolution. However, the special thing about wisdom is that machines can live anywhere.

" The whole point is to stay there. They can not only live anywhere, but they can go anywhere in the Galaxy if there is a big energy source - because if you think carefully, it is There is an abundance of energy that is needed, which is where we need to look , "Shostak said.

If so, the Seti organization might be looking for artificial intelligence in the wrong place. " Instead of building a telescope field, it is probably worth spending every observatory with an accompanying device that can observe every signal received and look for repeat patterns ," Clark said. .

Should we just send the signal and listen to the transmitted signal?Photo source: ISTOCK

Whether or not each observatory agrees to install the sensor of Seti is still a matter of controversy. However, this technology can reveal other incredible space discoveries. We now know that pulsars are very fast neutron stars. In 1967, Jocelyn Bell discovered the first oscillating signals, the group at Cambridge University only made " half " named it LGM1 for " green little people " ( Little Green Men ).

In the short term, Seti will continue to search for life in Earth-like planets. " But over time, if we can come up with an idea of ​​where to find synthetic intelligence, I think they will have more experiments aimed at this ," Shostak said.

Another approach is to deliver messages from the Earth to targeted areas in the universe. It is a controversial strategy that Stephen Hawking warns will make the Earth vulnerable to attack and exploitation.

" We just need to look back to see if intellectual beings can grow to such an extent that we don't want to meet ," warned Stephen Hawking in 2010.

" I disagree. But Seti is not able to broadcast, not to mention that even if we can do it, it will take a long time to receive a response - it depends on the position of the students. Shostak says how far away things are.

So do we get closer to finding out whether humans are the only creature whose intelligence - whether artificial or biological - in this universe? " I don't think we can say there's nothing out there because we can't prove it yet. What we can say is that there's something wrong with our approach. For me, it's still now. it's too early to think about giving up, "Shostak said.

Clark agrees with the idea, " I think Seti can consolidate searches, as much as possible. One answer is that yes, there are other intellectual creatures out there in the universe." deeply to us and only Seti alone has the potential to conduct this research ".