Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Space Medicine

The human body undergoes many changes during long-duration spaceflight including musculoskeletal, visual, and behavioral changes. Several of these microgravity-induced effects serve as potential barriers to future exploration missions. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine has progressed rapidly and has many promising applications for maintaining and monitoring astronaut health during spaceflight. However, the austere environment and unique nature of spaceflight present with challenges in successfully training and deploying successful systems for upholding astronaut health and mission performance. In this article, the dynamic barriers facing AI development in space medicine are explored. These diverse challenges range from limited astronaut data for algorithm training to ethical/legal considerations in deploying automated diagnostic systems in the setting of the medically limited space environment. How to address these challenges is then discussed and future directions for this emerging field of research.