Space exploration will require humans, robotics and artificial intelligence to work together, according to NASA astronaut Sunita Williams.
While robots can play a crucial role in scouting distant worlds and assessing conditions before humans arrive, Williams said human presence will remain essential for making decisions during exploration. She highlighted the need for a "symbiosis" between humans, robotics and technology as missions venture farther into space.
The Indian-origin astronaut discussed the evolving relationship between crewed missions and robotic technology at an interactive event in Bengaluru, drawing on her background as a helicopter pilot, according to ANI.
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"I think humans, technology, robotics, all need to work together," Williams said. "Helicopter pilot is my background. When we send robots to the Moon or to Mars, I dumb it down a little bit to say they're looking for the landing spot for us. They're the first line of defence to get out there, probe the situation and understand what it's all about."
Williams said robots can help humans understand conditions on distant worlds, but their capabilities remain limited by what they have been programmed to know.
"The human has to go there because they're only programmed with what we know right now," she noted. "We'll learn things when we get there, but we are gonna learn things very slowly with the use of robots and that type of technology."
Williams also highlighted the role AI can play in supporting future space missions, while stressing that humans will still need to make crucial decisions on site.
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"AI is going to help us, but you need to get a human on site to actually make the decision and to take those next steps, whether or not we're gonna go right, or we're gonna go left," Williams added. "I think there's a nice symbiosis between all of the technology, robotics, and humans as we start venturing further and further and exploring."
Williams made the comments as governments and commercial space companies step up preparations for long-duration lunar and Martian exploration under programmes such as Artemis. Williams has spent more than 600 days in orbit over three spaceflight missions.
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