Out of This World AI: Inside Spaceflight with Jeanette Epps

Human spaceflight is one of the few domains in which data and human judgment must work together flawlessly under extreme pressure. That makes it a powerful lens for understanding what it takes to build resilient, intelligent systems here on Earth. In this Women Leaders in Technology spotlight episode of The AI Forecast, Paul Muller sits down with former NASA astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps to explore what complex, high-stakes environments can teach us about AI. Drawing on her 235-day mission aboard the International Space Station, Jeanette shares firsthand insights into how tightly integrated systems must function when precision is critical, and uncertainty is unavoidable. From working with autonomous robotic systems like Astrobee to managing unexpected mission anomalies, her experience proves that automation works best when paired with human judgment, not separated from it. On today’s mission, Jeanette and Paul chart a course through: What human spaceflight reveals about managing complex systems Why precision and trust are non-negotiable in mission-critical environments The role of human-in-the-loop decision-making in AI systems Lessons in leadership, resilience, and decision-making under pressure Why baseline testing and known data are essential for trusting AI outputs How to design systems that balance automation with human oversight For leaders building AI-driven systems, this episode offers a rare perspective from one of the most demanding operational environments imaginable. When the stakes are high enough, there’s no room for guesswork—only systems you can trust. To listen to another episode from the WLIT series, check out Ep 66 | Women Leaders in Technology: AI Agents Are Your New Team– Now What?    Stay in touch with Jeanette: Dr. Jeanette Epps on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanette-epps-phd-812aba50/ Dr. Jeanette Epps on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanette.epps/ +++ Like and subscribe to The AI Forecast, sponsored by Cloudera, to stay up to date on the latest episodes. You can watch the video version of this episode on The AI Forecast.