AI solves decade-long superbug mystery in just two days
However, after providing a short prompt to "co-scientist," a tool developed by Google, Professor Penadés was astounded when the AI arrived at the same conclusion within just 48 hours. Despite the fact that the research had not been published and therefore could not have been accessed by the AI system, Professor Penadés was initially stunned by the speed of the result.
He shared his surprise during an interview on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, recalling how he had to step away for a while to process the unexpected findings. 'I was shopping with somebody, and I said, 'please leave me alone for an hour, I need to digest this thing,'" he said. The professor even emailed Google, asking if it had access to his computer, but the tech giant confirmed it had not.
The decade-long research process, including years spent verifying the team's findings, might have been significantly shortened had the AI tool been available from the start. Professor Penadés expressed that if they had known the hypothesis at the beginning of the project, much of the work could have been avoided.
What impressed the team even further was that the AI provided more than just the correct hypothesis—it also suggested several other plausible ideas. "It's not just that the top hypothesis they provide was the right one,' Penadés explained. 'It's that they provided another four, and all of them made sense. And for one of them, we never thought about it, and we're now working on that."
The team had been investigating how certain superbugs, germs resistant to antibiotics, are formed. Their working hypothesis involved the idea that these superbugs could form a "tail" from different viruses, which enabled them to spread between different species. Professor Penadés likened the process to the superbugs having 'keys' that allowed them to move between various hosts.
This hypothesis was unique to the research team and had not been published, nor shared outside the team. With this in mind, Professor Penadés used it to test the AI tool, and just two days later, the AI returned hypotheses, with its top suggestion closely matching the research team's theory.
The role of AI in scientific advancement has sparked ongoing debate. While some advocate for AI's potential to accelerate scientific progress, others are concerned about its impact on jobs. Professor Penadés acknowledged the concerns about job losses but emphasized that AI should be seen as a powerful tool for research and discovery.
'It's more that you have an extremely powerful tool,' he said. 'I feel this will change science, definitely. I'm in front of something that is spectacular, and I'm very happy to be part of that. It's like you have the opportunity to be playing a big match—I feel like I'm finally playing a Champions League match with this thing.'
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