DeepMind's Science Focus
- DeepMind's AI focus started with games, proving their systems' capabilities.
- This success led them to tackle real-world scientific challenges.
AI for Science Approach
- The AI for science team identifies impactful scientific problems for AI.
- They focus on "root node" problems, like protein folding and energy, which unlock other solutions.
AI for Nuclear Fusion
- DeepMind is tackling nuclear fusion, a major energy challenge.
- Their AI controls and sculpts plasma within a tokamak, potentially accelerating fusion research.
Step inside DeepMind's laboratories and you'll find researchers studying DNA to understand the mysteries of life, seeking new ways to use nuclear energy, or putting AI to the test in mind-bending areas of maths. In this episode, Hannah meets Pushmeet Kohli, the head of science at DeepMind, to understand how AI is accelerating scientific progress. Listeners also join Hannah on a [virtual] safari in the Serengeti in East Africa to find out how researchers are using AI to conserve wildlife in one of the world’s most spectacular ecosystems.
For questions or feedback on the series, message us on Twitter @DeepMind or email podcast@deepmind.com.
Interviewees: DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, Pushmeet Kohli & Sarah Jane Dunn; Meredith Palmer of the Princeton University
Credits
Presenter: Hannah Fry
Series Producer: Dan Hardoon
Production support: Jill Achineku
Sounds design: Emma Barnaby
Music composition: Eleni Shaw
Sound Engineer: Nigel Appleton
Editor: David Prest
Commissioned by DeepMind
Thank you to everyone who made this season possible!
Further reading:
Using AI for scientific discovery, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/AlphaFold-Using-AI-for-scientific-discovery
DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis on its breakthrough scientific discoveries, WIRED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WRow9FqUbw
The AI revolution in scientific research, The Royal Society: https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/ai-and-society/AI-revolution-in-science.pdf
DOE Explains...Tokamaks, Office of Science: https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainstokamaks
How AI Accidentally Learned Ecology by Playing StarCraft, Discover: https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/how-ai-accidentally-learned-ecology-by-playing-starcraft
Google AI can identify wildlife from trap-camera footage, VentureBeat:
https://venturebeat.com/2019/12/17/googles-ai-can-identify-wildlife-from-trap-camera-footage-with-up-to-98-6-accuracy/
Snapshot Serengeti, Zooniverse:
https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/zooniverse/snapshot-serengeti
The Human Genome Project, National Human Genome Research Institute: https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project
Exploring the beauty of pure mathematics in novel ways, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/exploring-the-beauty-of-pure-mathematics-in-novel-ways
Predicting gene expression with AI, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/enformer
Using machine learning to accelerate ecological research, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/using-machine-learning-to-accelerate-ecological-research
Accelerating fusion science through learned plasma control, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/Accelerating-fusion-science-through-learned-plasma-control
Simulating matter on the quantum scale with AI, DeepMind: https://deepmind.com/blog/article/Simulating-matter-on-the-quantum-scale-with-AI
How AI is helping the natural sciences, Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02762-6
Inside DeepMind's epic mission to solve science's trickiest problem, WIRED: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/deepmind-protein-folding
How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Science, Quanta:
https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-artificial-intelligence-is-changing-science-20190311/
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