ChatGPT could pilot a spacecraft shockingly well, early tests find

ChatGPT, the AI language model known for witty conversations and essay writing, has a surprising new skill: spacecraft piloting. In a recent competition, researchers pitted the chatbot against traditional autonomous systems in simulated space missions. The result? ChatGPT nabbed second place, demonstrating its ability to navigate complex scenarios like satellite interception and evasion.

The Kerbal Space Program Differential Game Challenge, based on the popular video game, serves as a testing ground for autonomous spacecraft control. With the increasing number of satellites and the ambitions of deep-space exploration, human operators simply can't keep up.

Researchers used carefully crafted prompts to guide ChatGPT, translating spacecraft data into text and the AI's responses into actionable commands. While there's still work to be done, particularly in avoiding potentially disastrous "hallucinations," the study showcases the unexpected applications of large language models in fields far beyond casual conversation.