Researchers at Imperial College London solved complex problems with antibiotic resistance in just two days, with the help of Google’s AI tool, “Co-Scientists.” The AI tool reached the same conclusion that the research team had been working on for 10 years despite its unpublished release.
A decade of research was resolved in 48 hours
Professor Josel Penades and his team at Imperial College London have spent a decade investigating and proving why certain superbugs are immune to antibiotics.
Researchers are trying to identify how dangerous bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics are formed. Their hypothesis is that superbugs can form tails from different viruses. Professor Penades compared it to a super bug that has a “key” that allows you to move from home to home. This hypothesis was unique to the research team and was not published anywhere else.
When the professor gave the AI tool “co-scientist,” developed by Google, it came to the same conclusion in just 48 hours when it was a short question about the core problem he was investigating.
Penadés described the surprise when he discovered the results, particularly as his research was not published and hence could not be discovered in public sources by the AI system.
“I was shopping with someone and said, ‘Leave me alone for an hour, I need to digest this,” he told the BBC’s programme today. He also contacted Google and asked if they could access his computer.
A valuable new insight
It is worth noting that the decade scientists spent on the project included time to prove their research. But they say that if they had hypothesized from the start, it would have saved years of work.
Professor Penades noted that the tool did more than actually replicate his research well.
The future of scientific research
Professor Penades says he understands why many people are first worried about the impact on a job like him, but adds, “When you think about it, it’s that you have a very powerful tool.”
He said he believes the researchers on the project will be extremely useful in the future. “I feel this will change science,” Penades said. “I’m in front of something spectacular. I’m so happy to be part of it.”
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