Ethical Dimensions of Scaling AI Compute Beyond Earth: Insights on Project Suncatcher
Artificial intelligence is advancing as a key technology with potential to address global challenges. Some initiatives propose expanding machine learning compute capacity beyond Earth’s surface, including space-based efforts. Project Suncatcher is one such initiative exploring AI compute scaling through space resources, raising important ethical questions. TL;DR Project Suncatcher explores expanding AI compute capacity by using space-based infrastructure. Ethical concerns include environmental impact, data privacy, and equitable access to AI benefits. Governance and international cooperation are vital to managing risks of AI compute beyond Earth. Project Suncatcher’s Goals and Context Project Suncatcher aims to enable large-scale machine learning computations in space, addressing terrestrial limits such as energy constraints and cooling challenges. By placing compute hardware in orbit, it pursues new possibilities for AI development, but this also...