Can Artificial Intelligence Help Find Alien Intelligence?

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), we've often looked for signs of intelligence, technology and communication that are similar to our own. But as astronomer and SETI trailblazer Jill Tarter points out, that approach means searching for detectable technosignatures, like radio transmissions, not searching for intelligence. Now scientists are considering whether artificial intelligence (AI) could help us search for alien intelligence in ways we haven't even thought of yet. As we think about extraterrestrial intelligence it's helpful to remember humans are not the only intelligent life on Earth.