What is planetary intelligence and how could it move AI from the internet to the real world?
- Jan 18
- 1 min read
Until recently, Earth-imaging satellites functioned like disembodied eyes. Wide-field constellations scanned the planet continuously, like peripheral vision. High-resolution satellites could zoom in on specific locations, just like the human eye can. They saw everything, everywhere – but seeing alone is not intelligence.
The significant amount of compute needed to support AI is akin to a brain without eyes. But now, computing power and sensing satellites are being put together. In the same way, as animals evolved, their sensors and brain started to work together to process a wealth of information more efficiently and with more powerful results.
The addition of substantial computing power in space is creating this leap for AI. With advanced processors on board satellites, raw imagery no longer has to be sent to Earth for interpretation. Instead, data can be processed, analyzed and acted upon in orbit. The satellites are still the senses, but now something like a brain has been attached.
Read the full story | WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
