USC Researcher Explores Human-AI Collaboration for Future Space Missions – USC Viterbi

Ulubilge Ulusoy (center) with fellow finalists, IAF President Clay Mowry and IAF Executive Director Christian Feichtinger (Photo credit: IAF)

PhD candidate Ulubilge Ulusoy has been recognized as one of six finalists for the prestigious International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Young Pioneer Award at this year’s International Astronautical Congress, the largest annual gathering in the space industry.

Ulusoy’s human-centered research tackles a growing challenge for space missions: how astronauts and artificial intelligence (AI) systems can effectively work together.

“When we set up a Mars habitat, there will be a communication delay of 4 to 20 minutes with Earth,” Ulsoy explains. “That makes it impossible for astronauts to communicate with mission control in real-time. They’ll need some kind of support system, even for routine tasks.”

While most current research focuses solely on how AI can assist humans, Ulusoy is exploring the opposite: how humans can help AI systems learn, adapt and improve. “These AI systems won’t be perfect when first deployed,” he says. “They’re going to get better as they interact with humans, so we’re trying to understand how that might work.”

Innovative experiments were designed simulating space conditions, where participants perform hypothetical maintenance tasks using ChatGPT as a stand in for mission control. By analyzing performance data, trust levels, workload metrics and time pressure, Ulusoy’s research will help create a framework for how to train astronauts to collaborate with AI systems.

Ulusoy views his research as a safeguard against potential AI complications, drawing a parallel to the Stanley Kubrick film “2001: A Space Odyssey” in which the computer, Hal, turns against the human astronauts. “If there was more interaction between humans and the technology, it might prevent what happened in that movie,” he said. “My research is about enabling humans to assist and enhance autonomous agents, so that we ensure that the systems we design work in our favor.”

While AI systems are not yet operational in NASA missions, Ulusoy’s work, funded by NASA’s Habitat Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) initiative, is helping pave the way. Astronauts currently train for space missions with their teammates, but increasingly they’ll need to train with AI systems as well. “It’s not just about making AI better,” he reflected. “It’s about creating a partnership where humans and AI grow together.”

Published on December 12th, 2024

Last updated on December 12th, 2024