Volkan Duran, Omer Eldadi and Abraham Loeb have proposed a framework for asking what, if anything, controls an anomalous object. Loeb introduced the manuscript in a freely accessible article published at 22:27 UTC on October 17, or October 18 in China. The proposal extends the questions asked about UAP and interstellar objects; it does not announce a detection of extraterrestrial artificial intelligence.
The authors first require a usable evidence record, then retain the existing Loeb Scale and assess biological direction, fixed-rule automation and adaptive autonomy separately. Their C0-C3 control scale uses timing, operating limits and responses to disruption to narrow the possibilities. A separate origin flag prevents an unusual response from being treated automatically as evidence of an extrasolar source.
The manuscript assigns C0 to 'Oumuamua and 3I/ATLAS because contingent behavior has not been observed. It calls for calibration against known terrestrial systems and acknowledges provisional evidence thresholds. The Apollo 11 example is a plausibility check, not measured validation of classification accuracy. The published material is a proposed method, not an independently established finding that UAP are machines or alien vehicles.