AI in science

https://preview.redd.it/v1txpnwosyye1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e3b7374ea3e6e8c0dd7d55c75e17c66dcb76336 I’m **Ben Brubaker** (u/benbenbrubaker), a staff writer at *Quanta* covering computer science, and I'm interested in fundamental questions about the nature of computation. What's the craziest thing a simple computer program can do? What are the intrinsic limits on the power of algorithms? What can quantum computers do that ordinary ones can't? What's going on inside state-of-the-art AI systems? I'm **John Pavlus** (u/xjparker3000), a contributing writer for *Quanta* covering AI and computer science since 2015. In 2019, I reported *Quanta*‘s [first deep dive on large language models](https://www.quantamagazine.org/machines-beat-humans-on-a-reading-test-but-do-they-understand-20191017/) (although we didn't call them that yet!) and have been intensely interested in [demystifying them](https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-embeddings-encode-what-words-mean-sort-of-20240918/) ever since. \-- Last week, we published a [9-part series](https://www.quantamagazine.org/series/science-in-the-age-of-ai/) about how AI is changing science and what it means to be a scientist. The series extends across three sections. * “Input” explores the origins of AI and demystifies its workings. * “Black Box” explains how neural networks function and why their operations can be difficult to interpret. It also chronicles ChatGPT’s disruption of natural language processing research in an extended oral history featuring 19 past and current researchers. * “Output” ponders the implications of these technologies and how science and math may respond to their influence. We're excited to answer any questions you have for us! >Thanks for all your great questions! The AMA has concluded. > >For more about AI and computer science, visit [Quanta](https://www.quantamagazine.org/... See more