Transcript

Panel 1.
Alkina: Officers, someone has hijacked my spaceship!

Panel 2.
Hijacker: I have control of the ship and have shut off its artificial intelligence. But it was able to get a message out. They will be coming after us soon.

Panel 3.
Second Hijacker: No matter. I need this ship’s instruments for a few hours to gather information about the stellar nursery.

Panel 4.
Station Officer: Looks like they are heading into the stellar nursery. That place is infested with pirates.
Alkina: We have to get my ship back!

Panel 5.
Station Officer: Don’t worry. The security cameras took a picture of the pirate that took your ship.

Panel 6.
Second Hijacker: How fast can this ship go anyway?
Hijacker: Let’s find out.

What does it mean?

Artificial intelligence (AI) – is a system of hardware and software that mimics human intelligence.

In human speak please!

The part of Epo, the spaceship that interacts with Alkina is an example of an advanced artificial intelligence. While nothing like Epo exists today, there is limited AI embedded in our transportation. For example, there are autopilot systems for airplanes and cruise control systems for cars that automatically adjust a car’s speed based on the speeds of cars ahead of it.

If humans are to explore the solar system and the stars, the spaceships they travel in will need to have some sort of AI that will manage things as simple as the ship’s environment (temperature, humidity, etc.) and as intricate as maneuvering.