A puzzle that took years to solve is solved in 48 hours by artificial intelligence
Searching for information is one of the many things that artificial intelligence has altered. However, its influence is revolutionary in one field: science. It now takes days or even hours to solve problems that once required hundreds of people, decades of research, and experiment after experiment.
In order to comprehend this, let us look at a puzzle. Suppose we are attempting to solve a crime in a large urban area. We have a ton of data to examine, including security camera footage, fingerprints, and witnesses. It could take months for a team of investigators to find the culprit, follow up on leads, rule out suspects, and piece together all the pieces of a case.
These days, we use a computer with amazing power to instantly analyze all the data in place of human investigators. The case is resolved quickly because AI can identify connections that humans would take weeks to discover.
A scientific team attempting to figure out how some bacteria have developed antibiotic resistance experienced a similar situation. This is a severe issue since it indicates that there are infections that medical professionals are unable to cure. We refer to these bacteria as "superbugs." Ten years were devoted to the study of these bacteria's resistance to antibiotics. However, an AI that was given the same problem was able to find the solution in just 48 hours.
What makes this remarkable?
Imagine someone putting together a puzzle with 10,000 pieces. The process of determining where each component fits could take months. Consider presenting the identical puzzle to a computer that can view every piece at once and determine where each one should go in a matter of seconds. AI solved the superbug problem in this way: In just a few hours, it gathered thousands of data points, examined patterns, and determined the right response.
According to the team's hypothesis, certain bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics possess a unique "tail" composed of viral segments that enable them to move from one bacterium to another like trespassers with master keys. Bacteria are like a locked house. Other bacteria can not normally get in.
However, these superbugs were able to spread their resistance to antibiotics by moving freely and copying the keys of numerous other bacteria. Scientists gathered evidence to support this claim over the course of years. In contrast, the AI just "read" all of the data that was available, looked for patterns, and came to the same conclusion in two days. The researchers were taken aback by this, at first believing that Google had stolen their findings by breaking into their computer. However, the AI did not read their research; instead, it quickly and efficiently solved the problem from the ground up.
The tale does not stop there, though. In addition to discovering the solution in record time, it produced four novel theories that had never been thought of by scientists before. Let us say we are searching for treasure in a forest. After years of looking for hints, we eventually locate the hidden chest.
However, AI not only locates the same chest in a matter of days, but it also identifies four additional locations that may hold even more undiscovered riches. The finding of new materials is an example that is comparable. In order to discover new materials that can be used in electronics, construction, or medicine, scientists usually spend years testing different combinations of materials in the lab. However, by analyzing data in ways that humans cannot, AI has recently discovered over two million new materials in record time.
This will ultimately result in a radical shift in how we conduct science. The scientific method has so far depended on the perseverance and laborious efforts of thousands of researchers. However, science is now quicker and more effective thanks to artificial intelligence.