Scientists spent 10 years studying superbugs to understand how they develop resistance to antibiotics. However, a team at Imperial College London discovered that Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool can solve the same problem in just two days.
José Penadés and his colleagues were investigating how certain viruses infect bacteria using “co-scientist” – an AI designed to collaborate with researchers. They posed the question to the AI, but were surprised when it returned the correct answer, which they had not yet published. The team’s findings were recently shared on a preprint server.
The AI tool analyzed available evidence and proposed hypotheses, saving the researchers years of work. This breakthrough highlights the potential for AI to accelerate scientific progress in fields like medicine. However, some experts raise concerns about the reliability and reproducibility of AI-assisted research.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antimicrobial resistance kills at least 1.27 million people globally each year. The use of AI in science remains a topic of debate, with some researchers advocating for tools to detect misconduct and ethical frameworks to assess accuracy.
The discovery demonstrates how AI can complement human research by identifying key questions and experimental designs. This could lead to significant advancements in understanding superbugs and developing effective treatments.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-spent-10-years-cracking-120000512.html