AI - a possible solution to the threats against human lives arising from space objects?

Ramuš Cvetkovič, Iva (author)

With the 1957 launch of the satellite Sputnik I, the first space object reached outer space. Many more followed, and today space objects are considered an invaluable part of our everyday lives. Satellites and the data they provide are used for monitoring the environment through Earth observation, climate regulation, and natural disaster management, as well as economic activities, for example, agriculture, transportation, communication, and several others. Despite these numerous benefits, however, space objects pose threats to human lives in outer space, in airspace, and on Earth. The technological advancement of the 21st century, especially the increased use of artificial intelligence, brought hope that these threats would be minimised, mitigated, or even completely resolved. In this paper, I am going to evaluate whether such hope is reasonable and justified. To do this, I will, first, identify some examples of the threats to human lives arising from space objects and provide examples when such threats already materialised in reality. Second, I will present the applicable legal framework and then, third, evaluate it and show that it falls short in addressing those threats. Fourth, I will demonstrate how AI is planned to be used in mitigating these threats. Fifth, I will outline some of the new legal challenges such use of AI would bring and, against this background, finally assess whether such AI threat mitigation is going to be as effective as currently predicted.

• Language: English
• Keywords: artificial intelligence, space technology, space debris, space objects, terrorism
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PF - Faculty of Law
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 279-306, 357-358
• Numbering: Letn. 84
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-168358
• UDC: 341.229:004.8
• ISSN on article: 1854-3839
• DOI: 10.51940/2024.1.279-306
• COBISS.SI-ID: 225509635
• Publication date in RUL: 10.04.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav
• Shortened title: Zb. znan. razpr.
• Publisher: Pravna fakulteta
• ISSN: 1854-3839
• COBISS.SI-ID: 223437312

Licences

• License: CC BY-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
• Description: Under the NoDerivatives Creative Commons license one can take a work released under this license and re-distribute it, but it cannot be shared with others in adapted form, and credit must be provided to the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: UI - možna rešitev za grožnje človekovemu življenju, ki prihajajo iz objektov v vesolju

Abstract

Z izstrelitvijo satelita Sputnik I leta 1957 je prvi vesoljski objekt dosegel vesolje. Sledili so mu še številni drugi, danes pa vesoljske objekte obravnavamo kot nepogrešljiv del našega vsakdana. Satelite in podatke, ki jih zagotavljajo, uporabljamo za spremljanje okolja s pomočjo opazovanja Zemlje, urejanje podnebja in upravljanje naravnih nesreč, pa tudi za gospodarske dejavnosti, denimo kmetijstvo, promet, komunikacije in še številne druge. Kljub številnim koristim pa vesoljski objekti pomenijo grožnjo človeškim življenjem v vesolju, v zračnem prostoru in na Zemlji. Tehnološki napredek 21. stoletja, še zlasti čedalje pogostejša uporaba umetne inteligence, je vzbudil upanje, da bodo te grožnje zmanjšane, omiljene ali celo v celoti odpravljene. Avtor v članku presoja, ali je tako upanje razumno in upravičeno. Najprej opredeli nekaj primerov groženj človeškim življenjem, ki izhajajo iz vesoljskih objektov, ter navede primere, ko so se te grožnje že uresničile v praksi. Drugič, predstavi veljavni pravni okvir in ga nato v tretjem koraku oceni ter pokaže, da ne zadošča za obravnavo omenjenih groženj. V četrtem delu prikaže, kako je predvidena uporaba umetne inteligence za omilitev teh groženj. V petem delu oriše nekatere nove pravne izzive, ki bi se lahko pojavili ob taki uporabi umetne inteligence, in na tej podlagi končno presodi, ali bo taka omilitev groženj s pomočjo umetne inteligence res tako učinkovita, kot se trenutno napoveduje.

• Keywords: umetna inteligenca, vesoljska tehnologija, vesoljski odpadki, vesoljski objekti, terorizem