For the first time in more than 15 years, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) committee has significantly revised the protocols governing how scientists “evaluate, verify, and announce evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.”
In a new paper, the committee explained the updates were drawn up in response to our ever-changing media landscape; one that is rife with AI-generated misinformation and dubious discovery claims of alien technology.
The new post-detection protocols stress transparency, scientific rigor, and clearly indicate what an astronomer must do in the event of first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence. They also tackle modern challenges, including the erosion of credibility in our post-truth era.
Steven Desch, a professor of astrophysics at Arizona State University who was not involved in the process, called the updates a “welcome development” in an interview with Refractor, noting that we are “awash in misinformation.”
A first draft for cosmic bureaucracy
With vast astronomical surveys such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST and the SETI Institute’s Breakthrough Listen scanning the skies, many scientists see the discovery of alien intelligence as an inevitability.
There are, after all, far more planets in the Universe than grains of sand on Earth. In the Milky Way alone, roughly four billion Earth-sized planets are sitting in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars.
SETI set out to prepare scientists worldwide for the daunting task of detecting aliens firsthand. The committee ratified its post-detection protocols under the leadership of Michael Garrett, an astronomer at the University of Manchester. Key to the updated protocols is an underlying principle rooted in the famous Carl Sagan adage, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”.
Referred to as the "Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)", the protocols serve as a guideline addressing everything from first contact and the verification of evidence to the problems of scientist harassment and doxxing.
"The information environment we operate in today is vastly more complex than it was in 2010," said Garrett, who serves as chair of the IAA SETI committee. "In an era of deepfakes, automated misinformation, and instant global connectivity, a single unverified claim could trigger confusion or panic.”
“These new protocols ensure that scientists maintain the highest standards of evidence before making announcements to the world," he added.
The revised protocols clearly state what an astronomer must do if they find an anomaly in their data that may indicate extraterrestrial intelligence.
As SETI points out in its statement, “no public announcement should be made until a signal or artifact has been rigorously authenticated by independent organisations using different instrumentation.” Effectively, they must have a separate observatory confirm their detection and then submit all data for peer review.
Beyond verifying and sharing a discovery to the wider public, the protocols also touch on the subject of alien contact. Crucially, they state that no SETI researcher must take it upon themselves to reply to any alien intelligence that has contacted them directly.
The protocols clearly state a “no reply” consensus. As SETI’s statement reads, “transmitting a response to an extraterrestrial intelligence is a decision that belongs to all of humanity”. Instead, the scientist or organisation responsible for discovery would be advised to contact the United Nations Secretary-General, who would hold international consultations ahead of contact.
Avi Loeb and the “post-truth economy”
In addition to guiding astronomers, the new protocols serve as a powerful reminder that scientists have a profound responsibility to prioritise truth over sensationalism.
Though the IAA SETI protocols don’t mention Harvard professor Avi Loeb, some of Garrett’s wording seems to almost explicitly reference Loeb’s recent claims. In 2019, Loeb famously stated the ‘Oumuamua interstellar object was comprised of alien technology.
Since then, Loeb has made a series of similar claims. He has faced backlash from the scientific community – most recently for his comments regarding the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
As Garrett explained in the SETI statement, “We do not shout “alien” the moment we see a strange blip. The scientific method demands we check, check again, and then ask others to check. Only when we have reached a consensus that a signal is credible do we bring it to the world."
One of Loeb’s most vocal critics, Arizona State University’s Steven Desch, told Refractor that Loeb has “learned to thrive in our new post-truth attention economy”.
“Whether the new IAA-SETI protocols were a response to him specifically, or the general culture, I don't know,” he continued. “I would say the congressional hearings and release of purportedly UFO-related documents by the government are also on the top of people’s minds. But I could also see them being a direct response.”
Desch also points to other scientists who have “leaned into sensationalism”. One example is Cambridge University’s Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan, whose team observed tentative chemical signatures of Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b.
According to Desch, press releases regarding the discovery “were much more credulous than they should have been, and the feeling in the community is that Madhusudhan stoked the fires.”
“No one is saying he made false claims,” Desch continued, though it is “far too easy” to lean into the sensationalism due to an “ever-present media attention”.
What can be done? The new IAA SETI protocols are a welcome step, according to Desch. “The best thing is to apply more rigor going forward, before papers are accepted,” he said. “That is very much in the spirit of the new IAA-SETI protocols: Be Careful What You Say.”
Source: SETI
Fact-checked by Mike McRae
