Until recently, interplanetary robotic explorers have largely been marionettes of mission controllers back on Earth. The controllers sent instructions, and the spacecraft diligently executed them.

But as missions go farther and become more ambitious, long-distance puppetry becomes less and less practical. If dumb spacecraft will not work, the answer is to make them smarter. Artificial intelligence will increasingly give spacecraft the ability to think for themselves.

"These technologies are already in operation on specific missions," said Steve Chien, a computer scientist who heads the artificial intelligence group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Scientists discussed some of the recent progress last week at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Baltimore.

Clearly, this is yet another demand on computational flexibility and resources apt to drive us towards more advanced AI technology. But we may still be looking at a near future in which our artificial intelligence needs are being met by piecemeal advances which more-than-adequately meet our practical needs, while failing to create the kind of transcendant AI (or rapidly evolving seed AI) many researchers and enthusiasts are looking for.

But it remains an interesting field to track. Especially when that track leads into deep space.

Future Imperative