Guwahati: Artificial Intelligence is all around us, said ISRO chairman S Somanath on Wednesday, alerting that machines now know people better than their friends.

The ISRO chief’s comment comes two weeks after the space agency announced that it is planning to develop a fleet of 50 surveillance satellites that are based on artificial intelligence technology that can “interact with each other in space to gather geo-intelligence”.

Speaking at an event at the Pragjyotishpur University, Somanath said that in the days to come AI will start ruling many things.

“All of you are being watched? All of you are being watched,” Somanath said, addressing students. “AI is all around us. Every phone that you handle is actually learning you bit by bit. Every key that you use actually gives a signature of you into the system. They know who you are, what are your tastes…Everything the computer knows. You may not know, your friends may not know but the computer system knows you better than your friends. It will also grow in the days to come. AI will start ruling many things here,” Somanath said.

Speaking at an event at IIT-Bombay, the ISRO chairman highlighted the importance of improving the ability of satellites to bring in more AI-related and data-driven approaches to analyse data, reduce data downloads and obtain only necessary information.

Somanath spearheaded ISRO when the space agency landed Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, making India the first country in the world to land on the south pole of the moon. Artificial Intelligence is said to have played a major role in the success of Chandrayaan-3. The technology is said to have helped the lander anticipate lunar topography, identify potential hazards and navigate its descent.