It was far from the first time that AI had appeared alongside the word “kill” in a headline this year. But it was unusual in that artificial intelligence was being used not to kill us, in some dystopian sci-fi scenario, but rather to help create a new antibiotic that could wipe out a deadly species of superbug. The setting was the announcement this week by researchers in Canada and the US that they had developed a new, powerful drug called abaucin. An AI system had been used to narrow down the chemicals that could be used in the drug, dramatically speeding up its development.
It was a rare piece of positive news about AI, which has spent much of the last year being demonised as a potent and malevolent force that is coming for us all. But in reality, it is just one of a number of thrilling breakthroughs around AI, which are in danger of being forgotten amid the panicked shouting about how we are all going to die – or at least have our jobs stolen by robots.
Last year, for example, DeepMind – probably best known for creating the “AlphaGo” bot that finally beat the world’s best human players at the world’s most strategic game, Go – said that it had used AI to “reveal the structure of the protein universe”. In short, that meant that it had catalogued the structures of almost all proteins known to science – an endeavour that was breathtaking in its scale and had consequences for everything from healthcare to breaking down plastic pollution.
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin May 29, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin May 29, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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