Most stars have planets, with over 6,000 exoplanets discovered so far, suggesting countless potentially habitable worlds in the Universe.
Despite searching for evidence of alien civilizations, none has been found, prompting various theories: life may not exist elsewhere, Earth might be in a "cosmic zoo," or civilizations self-destruct upon gaining power.
A new idea suggests that AI could be the reason for the lack of detection, based on a re-examination of Carl Sagan's musings.
None of them are really provable at this point, and none of them are particularly satisfactory answers.
This concept adds to the existing theories, including the possibility of aliens eavesdropping on our radio communications, as suggested by a NASA study.
A new paper explores this idea, providing a fresh perspective on the search for extraterrestrial life.
Author's summary: Alien AI may explain missing civilizations.