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Ryan Pizzirusso
Honors English Composition
Dr. Abigail Heiniger
Due Dec. 11, 2012
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is often perceived as being a human mind within a computer,
however this is not the current understanding. In this paper artificial intelligence will refer to a
system that can easily store, access, and manipulate data, use input to find trends and patterns,
and/or use gathered data to make decisions. Artificial Intelligence should be worked on because
it has applications in space travel, the military, ecology, and overall expanding human
intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence is useful for space travel. In “The Future of AI in Space” (2006),
Steve Chien et al. offers the idea that artificial intelligence in spacecraft allows the spacecraft to
make decisions on what to study, allowing for the study of changing environments like comets
(65). They claim that A.I. can benefit systems that monitor the Earth’s weather and other Earth
events (Chien et al. 65). This statement is backed up by explain that systems such as EO-1
already use A.I. to make decisions (Chien et al. 65). There are strange, infrequent events on the
surface of Mars, such as dust devils, and artificial intelligence onboard rovers would allow them
to track these events so scientists can learn more about Mars’s atmosphere (Chien et al. 65).
Artificial intelligence onboard Mars rovers would allow them to identify geological areas,
allowing for better understanding of the surface (Chien et al. 65-66). There are objects of
interest in our solar system that, to investigate, have too many variables to preprogram craft and
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are too far for reliable remote control (Chien et al. 66-67). In these scenarios having an entity
that is at the site that can make decisions would allow these missions to be possible, and that
entity would most likely be an artificial intelligence (Chien et al. 66-67). Artificial intelligence
will be necessary to aid human beings for future space travel (Chien et al. 67-69).
While artificial intelligence is practically necessary for space travel, it also has plenty of
applications in the military. Artificial intelligence is capable of working out logistics of how to
move troops from one place to another with little cost, as DART did in the Persian Gulf War
(Lopez, Comello, and Cleckner 72). It may also play a role in locating key areas of an enemy
(Lopez, Comello, and Cleckner 72).
Artificial intelligence allows for better understanding of ecology. Artificial intelligences
can find obscure patterns, which is useful for studying the various relationships in an
environment (Holmes 20). Some examples of this are using artificial intelligence to determine
which plants are more invasive, how birds behave during migration, and identifying what
diseases are most likely to infect humans and where that infection would occur (Holmes 20-21).
Artificial intelligence allows for better solving of costal problems by either connecting users of
models to experts or be emulating an expert with a knowledge-based system, or KBS (Chau 49).
Genetic algorithms (GA’s) can be used for river water quality management, to predict algal
abundance, and to calibrate field date on tides (Chau 53). Fuzzy logic can be used for refining
for conventional AI’s or for comparing model results to actual results (Chau 54).
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Works Cited
Chau, K. "A Review on the Integration of Artificial Intelligence into Coastal Modeling." Journal
Environmental Management. 80.1 (2006): 47-57. Print.
Chien, Steve, Richard Doyle, Ashley G. Davies, Ari Jonsson, and Ralph Lorenz. "The Future of
Ai in Space.(artificial Intelligence)." IEEE Intelligent Systems. 21.4 (2006). Print.
Holmes, Bob. "Nature's Mystery, Unlocked with Ai.(artificial Intelligence Techniques )." New
Scientist. 211.2826 (2011). Print.
Lopez, Jr A. M, Jerome J. Comello, and William H. Cleckner. "Mental Preparedness - Machines,
the Military, and Strategic Thought - Throughout History, the Military Has Used
Machines to Gain Operational Advantage Over Opponents. Now the Army Is Poised to
Use Computers with Artificial Intelligence to Read Clausewitz, Analyze the Enemy's
Center of Gravity, and Share Strategic Conclusions with Commanders." Military Review.
84.5 (2004): 71. Print.
Schoen, Sy. "The Issues, Benefits, and Risks of Implementing Artificial Intelligence." National
Productivity Review. 7.3 (1988): 246-255. Print.