What happens if we discover extraterrestrials? Scientists have a plan

• The International Academy of Astronautics has updated its protocols for confirming and announcing the discovery of alien life.
• New guidelines address the modern challenges of social media, misinformation, and potential online harassment of scientists.
• The protocols prioritize rigorous scientific verification before any public announcement is made to avoid panic or confusion.
• The updates come amid heightened public interest in UFOs, now called UAPs, and recent government hearings on the topic.

For decades, the public has been obsessed with the idea of little green men piloting flying saucers visiting Earth.

The almost mythical concept that aliens from distant worlds could invade our planet has long been the source of paranoia for many conspiracy theorists and the source of entertainment across the pop culture landscape.

But how would events unfold if extraterrestrials really did make first contact with humanity?

Turns out, a framework has long existed for just how researchers should confirm the existence of intelligent alien life and then share that breakthrough with the public in a way that minimizes panic. And for the first time in more than a decade, the international group responsible for those guidelines has updated its suggested protocols.

Here's a look at how the group recommends that news of confirmed extraterrestrials should be shared with you, and why 2026 is as good a year as any to make sure those guidelines are up to date:

Alien hunting group updates first contact guidance

An organization known as the International Academy of Astronautics has, for the first time in more than 15 years, overhauled its rules for how the public ought to be informed if humanity ever makes contact with extraterrestrial life.

The document, which provides recommendations rather than enforceable procedures, outlines what can be considered best practices for agencies searching for aliens throughout the universe.

The academy, based in Paris, most recently revised the protocols in 2010 after they were first adopted in 1989.

The new guidance, the organization said in a press release, prioritizes "scientific rigor and transparency" in an age defined by artificial intelligence, widespread use of social media and a 24-hour news cycle. The updates are the result of years of work and input from more than 350 researchers around the world, according to the organization.

"In an era of deepfakes, automated misinformation, and instant global connectivity, unverified claims could trigger confusion or panic," astrophysicist Michael Garrett, the chair of the academy's committee for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, said in a statement. "These new protocols guide SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] scientists in maintaining the highest standards of evidence before making announcements to the world."

What are the new guidelines for sharing news of extraterrestrials?

The updated protocols maintain some core tenets that have existed since 1985, while now reflecting the realities of a digital age where hoaxes and misinformation can proliferate online.

For instance, the academy sought to establish safeguards for scientists who make a potential detection that puts them at risk of online harassment or in any way threatens their safety. The guidance also looks to guard against viral rumors by mitigating the flow of incorrect information.

The committee that came up with the new guidelines further acknowledged that many technosignatures beyond radio transmissions can now be detected as evidence of extraterrestrial life.

Principles that remain at the heart of the guidelines include:

• Maintaining a "rigorous" verification process to confirm the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence and report it to the scientific community, the United Nations and, ultimately, the public at large
• Avoiding responding to confirmed extraterrestrials without appropriate input from the international community, such as the U.N
• Establishing a post-detection committee with experts from a variety of backgrounds tasked with advising on the "longer-term societal implications of a confirmed discovery."

Aliens, UFOs reenter mainstream with 'Disclosure Day,' hearings

The updated protocols come at a time of heightened public interest in the topic of aliens and UFOs.

A series of dramatic public hearings in Washington, DC, has in recent years reignited age-old conspiracy theories that the government is concealing information about extraterrestrials that have visited Earth. Amid the increased scrutiny, President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin releasing some files of investigations into UFO reports, which the government now refers to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP.

Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" also recently hit theaters. The film starring Emily Blunt, which Spielberg directed, tells the story of a government cover-up of UFOs and explores just how the public ought to be informed about the existence of aliens.

So, just how should the public be told, if it's ever discovered that we're not alone in the universe?

"We do not shout 'alien' the moment we see a strange blip," Garrett cautioned in his statement. "Only when we have reached a consensus that a signal is credible do we bring it to the world."

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]