Episode 42: Stop Trying to Make 'AI Scientist' Happen, September 30 2024

Can “AI” do your science for you? Should it be your co-author? Or, as one company asks, boldly and breathlessly, “Can we automate the entire process of research itself?”
Major scientific journals have banned the use of tools like ChatGPT in the writing of research papers. But people keep trying to make “AI Scientists” a thing. Just ask your chatbot for some research questions, or have it synthesize some human subjects to save you time on surveys.
Alex and Emily explain why so-called “fully automated, open-ended scientific discovery” can’t live up to the grandiose promises of tech companies. Plus, an update on their forthcoming book!
References:
Sakana.AI keeps trying to make 'AI Scientist' happen
The AI Scientist: Towards Fully Automated Open-Ended Scientific Discovery
Can LLMs Generate Novel Research Ideas? A Large-Scale Human Study with 100+ NLP Researchers
How should the advent of large language models affect the practice of science?
Relevant research ethics policies:
ACL Policy on Publication Ethics
Committee On Public Ethics (COPE)
The Vancouver Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work
Fresh AI Hell:
Should journals allow LLMs as co-authors?
Business Insider "asks ChatGPT"
Otter.ai sends transcript of private after-meeting discussion to everyone
"Could AI End Grief?"
AI generated crime scene footage
"The first college of nursing to offer an MSN in AI"
FTC cracks down on "AI" claims
Check out future streams on Twitch. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see.
Find our book The AI Con here, and MAIHT3k merch here.
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Emily
Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social
Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender
Alex
Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social
Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex
Twitter: @alexhanna
Music by Toby Menon.
Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park.
Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.