Russia’s GigaChat AI Is Heading to the ISS—to Monitor Astronaut Health in Real Time

Russia is sending a new kind of crew member to the International Space Station—one that doesn’t eat, sleep, or float

Meet GigaChat, a homegrown neural network developed by Sber, now being deployed to track and interpret the health data of ISS astronauts with machine-level precision.

Announced at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum by Sergey Krikalev, Deputy Director General of Roscosmos for crewed programs, the system marks a major milestone: the first time a Russian AI will assist in a long-term space mission.

GigaChat is being tasked with turning raw biomedical data—like ultrasound scans and vital signs—into clean, compressed, and actionable insights. The payoff? Less noisy data, fewer transmissions back to Earth, and greater clarity on astronaut well-being in the most bandwidth-constrained environment imaginable.

“Accuracy and efficiency are critical aboard the ISS,” Krikalev explained. “GigaChat can do in seconds what previously required multiple systems and specialists.”

But its role may go far beyond medical analytics. With its natural language capabilities and scalable architecture, GigaChat could evolve into a multi-role assistant—helping manage onboard systems, schedule tasks, or even act as a cognitive co-pilot in high-stress scenarios.

In short: this isn’t just a chatbot in orbit—it’s the start of AI-human collaboration in deep space, with Russia pushing the boundary of what autonomous systems can do beyond Earth.