What should scientists do if they detect credible evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence?
The International Academy of Astronautics has released a major update to the Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. It is the first substantial revision of the international SETI post-detection principles in more than 15 years.
The updated Declaration reflects how much both science and communication have changed. SETI is no longer limited primarily to radio signals. Researchers now search for technosignatures across the electromagnetic spectrum, including optical laser emissions, unusual infrared signatures, artifacts, and other observable evidence of extraterrestrial technology. At the same time, any potential discovery would emerge into a world of social media, deepfakes, AI-generated misinformation, viral rumors, and continuous news coverage.
Verification comes first
The central principle remains simple: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
A candidate detection should be investigated carefully and, whenever possible, independently observed by multiple facilities, organizations, instruments, and methods. Initial findings may be incomplete, ambiguous, or ultimately explained by terrestrial interference or natural phenomena.
Scientists must therefore distinguish clearly between a candidate, a credible detection, and a confirmed discovery. If a detection is eventually confirmed, the Declaration calls for the conclusion to be communicated openly to the scientific community, the public, and the United Nations. The underlying data, analysis process, verification efforts, and interpretations should also be made available for peer review and further investigation.
Data integrity is essential
One of the most important elements of the updated Declaration concerns the preservation of evidence. Data associated with a potential discovery should be securely archived, together with the methods and software used to analyze it. The Declaration recommends preserving information in multiple repositories located in different geographic regions and encourages the use of open formats and internationally recognized archives. It also calls for tamper-resistant records and resilient data-handling practices. This is not only relevant to SETI. The same principles apply whenever scientists investigate rare or unexpected events in the sky: unusual astronomical transients, satellite reentries, meteors, atmospheric events, or observations that initially resist explanation.
Why global observation networks matter
No single telescope, camera, institution, or scientist should be expected to establish an extraordinary discovery alone. Independent observations from multiple locations can help determine whether an event was astronomical, atmospheric, technological, local interference, or an instrumental artifact. Reliable timestamps, geographic information, preserved raw observations, and transparent analysis histories allow researchers to reconstruct what happened and test competing explanations. These principles are closely aligned with the motivation behind SkyMapper. SkyMapper is building a distributed network of telescopes and intelligent all-sky cameras designed to observe the sky continuously, preserve observational records, and enable researchers and communities to investigate events collaboratively. The new IAA Declaration is independent of SkyMapper. However, its emphasis on independent verification, data provenance, resilient archiving, scientific transparency, and international cooperation reinforces the importance of building observational infrastructure before an extraordinary event occurs.
A personal perspective
As a permanent member of the IAA SETI Committee, our CEO, Franck Marchis participated in the committee process and vote that led to the adoption of the updated Declaration. He notes that this document is not a prediction that a discovery is imminent, it is an acknowledgment that responsible science requires preparation. If humanity ever encounters credible evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, the quality of our response will depend on the instruments, data systems, scientific relationships, and public communication practices that are already in place. That is one reason we believe global and accessible sky-monitoring networks matter. SkyMapper is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to accelerate the production and deployment of SkySphere, our intelligent all-sky observing station. The objective is to place more instruments under different skies, test them in diverse conditions, and begin expanding a network capable of documenting transient activity overhead.
The search for extraordinary discoveries begins with reliable observations.
Check out the official documents here:
International Academy of Astronautics announcement
SZ3 2026
