  A recurring topic in interstellar exploration and the search for
extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is the role of artificial intelligence.
More precisely, these are programs or devices that are capable of performing
cognitive tasks that have been previously associated with humans such as image
recognition, reasoning, decision-making etc. Such systems are likely to play an
important role in future deep space missions, notably interstellar exploration,
where the spacecraft needs to act autonomously. This article explores the
drivers for an interstellar mission with a computation-heavy payload and
provides an outline of a spacecraft and mission architecture that supports such
a payload. Based on existing technologies and extrapolations of current trends,
it is shown that AI spacecraft development and operation will be constrained
and driven by three aspects: power requirements for the payload, power
generation capabilities, and heat rejection capabilities. A likely mission
architecture for such a probe is to get into an orbit close to the star in
order to generate maximum power for computational activities, and then to
prepare for further exploration activities. Given current levels of increase in
computational power, such a payload with a similar computational power as the
human brain would have a mass of hundreds to dozens of tons in a 2050 - 2060
timeframe.
