A special double issue of Dædalus features contributions from 33 scientists examining the future of scientific discovery in the age of artificial intelligence.
The issue includes perspectives from life sciences, medicine, cognitive science, neuroscience, physical and earth sciences, chemistry, materials science, computer science, mathematics, and social sciences.
Key Topics
Recent AI breakthroughs — such as predicting the structure of nearly all known proteins — are explored for their profound implications for biology, health, and disease treatment.
The bidirectional relationship between AI and science is a central theme: AI advances science, and science advances AI.
Future possibilities include a golden age of discovery, scientist-machine collaborations, autonomous laboratories, and even discoveries without human understanding.
Limitations of AI are also addressed, along with ongoing efforts to overcome them.
The issue further examines implications for scientific methods, the evolving role of scientists, and the future practice of science itself.
Authors
The authors are researchers at the frontier of AI and science, writing with a focus on future possibilities as well as current achievements.