Artificial intelligence (AI) is an integral part of modern life in numerous ways, from facial recognition to AI assistance in making more accurate medical diagnoses. In addition, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are leading efforts to leverage AI to accelerate new and potentially transformative discoveries in science.
The researchers are looking at ways to apply the same advances to scientific problems, such as to discover things faster, to discover unknown things. AI methods can provide humans with very powerful, knowledgeable and imaginative assistance that can accelerate the discovery process. They focus on long-term AI that will change many aspects of society in a way that is currently unimaginable.
Machine learning (ML) and AI play an active role that will provide answers, predictions, or possibilities that any humans could not have possibly thought of. This is all made possible by some significant methodological advances. Moreover, the available data are currently a lot more massive and the computers are far more powerful than before.
Argonne laboratory has made AI and ML a priority to help solve intractable problems and benefit society. AI will certainly accelerate scientific discovery so the researchers expect to achieve better outcomes and discover new things faster.
On a practical level, leveraging AI will allow scientists to learn more from the growing amounts of data available to them and make better predictions about what the data means. These predictions can provide actionable insights which would directly affect human daily lives.
In the healthcare domain, the use of AI makes it possible to search through a massive amount of data and make predictions about what the next mutation of the virus that causes COVID-19. This could also apply to research on materials for battery applications, various forms of energy storage or the effects of pollutants on the environment. The adoption of AI will benefit myriad sectors both public and private.
Although utilising AI and ML techniques effectively may take some time, these methods have transformative potential in the long run. AI and ML will change the way to do science and help shape the future. Hence, Argonne is assembling teams in this space to leverage AI and ML for different aspects of life.
Argonne researchers across the laboratory complex are using AI to design better materials and processes, safeguard the nation’s power grid, accelerate medical treatments, automate traditional research, and drive discovery. Argonne is at the forefront of AI research, playing an integral role in applying innovative AI methods to solve problems and change lives. The AI research conducted by Argonne scientists has practical implications that contribute to society.
The Argonne laboratory has also conducted research to map the pandemic’s impact. As reported by OpenGov Asia, the laboratory released interactive indices, analyses, and maps that provide a detailed understanding of the socio-economic effects of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The public now has access to a series of data and analysis resources designed to support and inform long-term COVID-19 recovery efforts across the U.S.
The data and analysis are helping to guide federal recovery efforts, from informing federal engagement efforts with affected communities to helping target delivery of aid. The laboratory developed these resources to help federal agencies understand where impacts are most acute (down to the county level), and which demographic groups and facets of the economy may require recovery support, such as employment, housing stability, public sector services