China’s AI-powered satellite takes ‘closer look’ at India, Japan

The reason behind AI’s decision to choose certain locations for the satellite to direct was not clarified by scientists.

Chinese scientists recently gave temporary full control of an experimental remote sensing satellite to artificial intelligence to observe its ability, which apparantly led the satellite to hover over India and Japan, the South China Morning Post said citing a study published in a journal of the Geomatics ad Information Science of Wuhan University. The study said that the satellite, Qimingxing 1, was controlled by ground-based AI, without human intervention which picked few places on Earth and ordered it to take a closer look.

According to the Chinese media, no explanation was given by the scientists on why the AI selected those specific locations. The AI reportedly decided to observe targetted areas in Bihar’s Patna, where the Bihar Regiment of the Indian Army is situated. It is the same Army unit that met the Chinese military in a deadly encounter in Galwan Valley in Ladakh in 2020.

The AI also showed interest to take a close look at Japan’s Osaka, one of the busiest ports that hots the US Navy vessels time to time.

So far, AI tech does not take actions on its own without human orders and assignments. The Chinese researchers wanted to change the narrative and created a text library of data from around tha globe. The data, in line with how it is used to train ChatGPT, will allow AI to understand human behaviour and enable giving directions to more than 260 remote-sensing satellites in orbit that are currently sitting ‘idly’.