Space station crew gains AI assistant

The three astronauts on China's orbiting Tiangong space station recently completed their third spacewalk. Unlike their previous missions, they had a new AI assistant this time around.

Named after Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King, the large-scale artificial intelligence model called Wukong AI was delivered to the Chinese space station by the Tianzhou 9 cargo craft on July 15, along with new-generation spacesuits, fresh fruits and other supplies for the crew in orbit, the China Astronaut Research and Training Center said on Saturday.

Built on a homegrown opensource AI model, Wukong AI is designed to meet the requirements of manned space missions. It has developed a large language model tailored for professional fields and features a knowledge base centered on aerospace flight standards.

The Shenzhou XX crew members in orbit had already used this AI model to assist with preparations for extravehicular activities that took place on Friday. The mission commander, Senior Colonel Chen Dong, and astronaut Colonel Wang Jie asked Wukong AI for the work schedule a day before conducting their third spacewalk. The AI system quickly replied with relevant links and guidance.

"The content it offered is highly comprehensive," Wang said.

Wukong AI's participation marks the first time that China's space station has applied and verified large-scale AI model technology. The model has been operating stably in orbit for one month, and the Shenzhou XX astronauts have given positive feedback, said Zou Pengfei, a center staff member.

Zou noted that Wukong AI combines both ground and space models in an intelligent question-answering system, with the ground model offering in-depth analysis and the orbiting one solving critical and complex challenges.

In addition, this space-grade AI model can deliver fast and accurate support through scenario-based data processing, optimization techniques and customized search strategies. Another feature of the system is that it can be quickly reconfigured and expanded to handle mission planning, data analysis and smart forecasting.

"This system can provide rapid and effective information support for complex operations and fault handling by crew members, improving work efficiency, in-orbit psychological support and coordination between space and ground teams," Zou said.

Xinhua