Prospects for the science and technology process after the introduction of AI
Artificial intelligence technologies are increasingly being used to open up new horizons for scientists and researchers. The University of Chicago, for example, is using AI literally every step of the way. They scan the sky for supernovae and search for new drugs out of millions of possible combinations. Artificial Intelligence helps us better understand the complex phenomena that underlie many processes on our planet. And the prospects for its application to the development of the scientific and technological process are staggering.
For example, AI could prove indispensable in the search for new vaccines or materials for electronics. In essence, all of these new substances are different combinations of chemicals and molecules already known to humankind, but there could be billions of these combinations. So how do you pick out which ones to try and implement and test in the lab? AI comes to the rescue!
And now many scientists are wondering what would happen if the role of the scientist researcher was shifted to artificial intelligence. Perhaps the new AI models will be able to propose entirely new experiments to humans that no human could have thought of before. But for these proposals to be accurate, safe, and effective, there needs to be more basic computer research on the fundamentals of AI, which scientists are doing at this stage. For example, scientists at the University of California, Chicago are exploring ways to reduce systematic error in model predictions, applying advanced tools even when data is scarce, and working to develop an “explainable AI” system that can produce more actionable insights. As an example, most AI systems now simply give an unambiguous answer without any context. But a doctor, for example, cannot accept a diagnosis unless he or she understands the way (a mechanism) of it.
But with the right approach, AI is indeed capable of turning the scientific and technological process upside down. And we are already seeing its potential. Artificial intelligence is being used by astrophysicists to analyze and process the most complex data, including extreme distortions in space-time that could be crucial to our understanding of the universe. Chemists use it to find the most efficient chemical reactions, including catalysis. In engineering, AI is now set to accelerate the discovery of metallic glass, a potential alternative to steel. Its capabilities are incredible.
