Artificial intelligence is speeding up astronomy

Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios

AI is speeding up discoveries about the universe and helping to hone the search for life within it.

Why it matters: Many astronomers spend a large amount of their time combing through data collected by telescopes.

What's happening: Last month, scientists revealed an image of the black hole at the center of the galaxy M87 that was reprocessed using a machine learning algorithm. The sharpened image should allow scientists to more accurately estimate the black hole's mass.

The intrigue: SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) efforts could be helped by AI and machine learning, which are particularly adept at picking out patterns in large sets of data.

Yes, but: Some worry these tools could spit out false positives that wouldn't otherwise be an issue if humans were analyzing the data.

What to watch: Scientists are already training an AI algorithm to help create sharper photos when the Vera Rubin Observatory — tasked with learning more about the nature of dark matter and other science goals — comes online in the coming years.