by the fans for the fans

Sufficed to say, one can look into hints from various RT sources, including the decanonised RT: The Untold Story & clues from Robotech novelisation.

SDF-1 had an AI program known as EVE (taken from Megazone 23) which housed in the main computer of SDF-1. After SDF-1 discovery & exploration by salvage crews, SDF-1 main computer was relocated to Robotech Research Center in Tokyo by Lang.

EVE become pivotal in RT: Untold Story plot.

SDF-1 might be steered via automatic flight controls which is guided by EVE pre-crash.