Planets are far more common than we thought a little while ago. I assume that makes alien life likely to be far more common too. As our technology improves, such as pattern recognition and signal processing, I also would guess that we can search far faster and more effectively and that our search speed and accuracy will quickly improve.
Per Wikipedia, FWIW:
A 2013 study based on results from the Kepler spacecraft estimated that the Milky Way contains at least as many planets as it does stars, resulting in 100–400 billion exoplanets
When does it become critical, and not an interesting intellectual exercise, to decide whether we want to find alien life and what to do if such a thing happens.
(The discussion is well-worn, that it could be beneficial and that it could be catastrophic, either due to superior technology, disease, or the endless unexpected possibilities.)
