"This Isn't Chatbot AI. It Is AI For SENSOR DATA From Space."

AI is making satellites smarter. But how does this benefit humanity on Earth, and what problems can it solve? In a conversation with Nidhi Agarwal of EFY, Vishesh Vatsal from SkyServe explains how AI operates in orbit—and why it matters.

- VISHESH VATSAL CO-FOUNDER AND CTO, SKYSERVE

What are you developing to make the satellites smarter?

We build edge computing software infrastructure. This is a system that lets you define what a satellite should do. Satellites have payload computers. Our software runs on these computers, allowing applications to be set up from Earth and executed on the satellite. This setup lets the satellite do computing tasks in space. You can build models on Earth, send them to the satellite, run them there, and get the results back. It is modular and can scale to support a large number of satellites in a network.

Can you briefly say what Al and deep learning do in your innovation?

While many associate Al with chatbots and generative tools, our focus is Al for processing satellite sensor data. This includes analysing imagery—such as identifying runway damage during Operation Sindoor—using computer vision and remote sensing models.