Issue 88: Small Steps in AI
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week, we’re thinking about artificial intelligence – Mary Ames, Director of Strategy
THE BIG TAKE
Small Steps in AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a fickle topic. On the one hand, the emerging technology carries the possibility of transforming how humanity lives and thinks. On the other hand, those changes aren’t going to take place anytime soon. The best way to think about AI is to focus on the small but significant developments taking place across a number of scientific disciplines. It’s not so much that AI is changing the way we think or creating an “artificial mind” but the technology is helping us explore new areas of research with better tools.
The beauty of a protein: One such AI breakthrough is the newfound ability to understand and explore protein sequencing. AI programs are allowing researchers to explore the folding of protein sequences in profound new ways. These proteins are the building blocks of living matter. The more we learn about them, the better we can understand the nature of diseases, viruses, and genetics. Instead of facilitating a new artificial mind, AI is serving as a better microscope through which we can explore the foundations of life on Earth.
To the stars: It’s not just the realm of biology that is transforming because of AI developments. Nasa scientists have been using AI to find new exoplanets. Using a neural network called ExoMiner, scientists have discovered 301 exoplanets outside of our solar system. This is another profound breakthrough. AI is one of the most powerful technologies humanity has ever devised. Right now, the advancements are coming as small steps. Taken as a whole, however, these steps are giving us new tools to explore the world and universe around us.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“All fiction that does not violate the laws of physics is fact.”
– David Deutsch, English physicist and author.
OUR VIEWS THIS WEEK
AI is a public good: Given the power and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to change the planet for the better, shouldn’t governments have a more significant role in safeguarding the technology? That’s the simple but complex question we investigated in this archived piece in Xische Reports. The development and use of AI technology are crucial for society, and it can’t be left to big tech giants alone. Moreover, the US government (and others like it) are missing an excellent opportunity to use AI for good across the public sector.
The new space cowboys:The Space Race is back on, and a new cast of characters are rewriting the rules of space exploration and privatization. Longtime readers of Xische’s articles will be well aware of the incredible strides the UAE has made in several space endeavors. From the Mars orbiter to plans for Moon exploration, the UAE shows that small countries can defy the odds and explore the furthest reaches of our solar system. In this piece from the archive, we take stock of thelarger questions to consider in space like privatization and exploration.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Deep thinking on smart cities: Smart cities programs are making our cities better. But are smart city ideas losing their luster? The Yale School of Environment just published a fascinating look into the state of smart cities today. They find that some critics argue that rather than grafting a new city onto the landscape, it is better to integrate technologies for clean, efficient energy and transportation into existing cities.
The ancient history of surveillance: You might think that surveillance using machines is a new concept that has come into reality with the rise of the internet. That’s actually not the case. The MIT reader looks at the incredible history of machine surveillance throughout the ages. From artificial servants to autonomous killing machines, machines have been a part of the human imagination for thousands of years.
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