Artificial intelligence is pushing the boundaries of science and technology: piloting military drones, diagnosing diseases and developing enzymes that destroy plastic waste. Meanwhile, consumer-facing chatbots are used by hundreds of millions of people every week, causing seismic shifts in education, child development and human relationships. TIME looks at 10 ways artificial intelligence innovation is being used to shape the future.
Vaccine development
The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines had several components: years of mRNA research, enormous political will and an influx of money. But to cut the 15-year timeline into 12 months, scientists also relied on a new arsenal of artificial intelligence-powered tools to help with everything from genome interpretation to cleaning clinical trial data. Tools like these are now helping to speed up vaccine development. Faced with a potentially pandemic pathogen, “we could create a new vaccine in a matter of days,” says Timothy Andy, program director at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a public-private partnership promoting vaccine development. CEPI's goal is to develop and introduce a new vaccine within 100 days. “I think we’re almost there,” says Andy.
Human-machine relations
The relationship between man and machine is becoming mainstream. Millions of people are turning to AI chatbots to play the role of connecting friends, therapistAnd romantic partner. One AI role-playing platform, Character.AI, currently has 20 million monthly active users—half women, half born after 1997.
“For a lot of people, it’s entertainment and they get a lot of benefit from it,” says Kate DevlinProfessor at King's College London, researching artificial intelligence and human intimacy. She sees benefit in communicating with AI as long as people understand that AI is not intelligent. But she notes that vulnerable people – especially children or people with mental health problems – can be exploited when they share their deepest feelings using artificial intelligence tools that are not designed for therapy. However, Devlin believes that with increased use, society is resilient enough to find a way through this period of change. “We’re very good at being human,” she says.
Wildlife Tracking
To keep an eye on wildlife, conservationists are using a network of motion-activated cameras in some of the most remote corners of the world. But sifting through the stream of images they capture can take weeks to find a single noteworthy observation. Wildlife Insights, an artificial intelligence tool created through a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund, Google and others, scans millions of images, identifying animals with 99.4% accuracy, freeing researchers to do “more important work,” says Abby Hehmeier, WWF program manager. In March, they open-sourced the tool, trained on 65 million images, so conservationists could use it anywhere. “The threats facing biodiversity are very great,” says Hemeyer. “This tool allows us to respond with the speed at which these threats come to us.”
Education
While educational institutions struggle to contain AI, its adoption is becoming widespread. In July, US teachers unions in partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic as part of an initiative to train 400,000 school teachers in the use of AI over the next five years. In August, OpenAI announced partnership with the Indian government to bring its artificial intelligence to schools across the country. For Rose LakinProfessor at University College London with deep experience in AI and education, the widespread use of AI by students has disrupted systems that no longer prepare them for the future. But with these changes come new opportunities, although regulation and understanding of the limitations of AI are necessary to protect vulnerable populations, she says. “The main thing we need to understand is what kind of relationship do we want between humans and artificial intelligence?” she says.
Circular recycling
More than 350 million tons plastic waste is generated every year. But AI-designed enzymes couldUN-Bake cake – turn over [plastic] back into the chemical compounds that are used to create it – unlock[ing] there are endless applications to recycle all the materials that today end up in landfill or incineration,” says Jacob Nathan, founder and CEO of London-based Epoch Biodesign. The company has developed enzymes for three major groups of plastics using machine learning that can help break down not only textiles, but also packaging and more. The startup, which grew out of Nathan's school project in 2019 and has since raised $35 million, will complete construction of its first manufacturing facility later this year, which is expected to be capable of processing “150 tons of waste annually,” Nathan says.
Medical diagnosis
Artificial intelligence tools that help diagnose strokes, cancer and other diseases are becoming an integral part of healthcare systems around the world. Kure.aiwhich uses artificial intelligence to interpret diagnostic images such as X-rays and ultrasounds, is used in more than 4,500 institutions in more than 100 countries. Visa.aiThe company's diagnostic algorithms are used in more than 1,800 hospitals in the United States and Europe. Artificial intelligence systems also hold promise as clinical assistants. IN pilot study run by Kenyan primary care provider Penda Health and OpenAI, Penda's artificial intelligence system, designed to complement doctors' knowledge and used with thousands of patients, has reduced medical diagnostic errors by 16%. As adoption increases, global health will improve.
Children's toys
Artificial intelligence toys are nascent but a growing market. Companies like Kuryo sell artificially intelligent plush toys that speak to young children in an age-appropriate language. One of them was designed and voiced by a musician. Grimes. Others like Miko 3– “an interactive robot that teaches and listens” – created to assist in learning. In June OpenAI in partnership with toy manufacturer Mattel; Their first product is expected to be announced later this year. Without protective measures, these toys could interfere with critical developmental milestones in childhood, warns Anne-Sophie Seretcompany executive director everything.AIa global initiative working with governments and companies to ensure child protection in the use of AI. She says standards, guidelines and active engagement with the companies developing these toys are important. “Once the teddy bear is under the tree at Christmas,” she says, “it’s so hard to get it back.”
Mapping the Earth
In July Google announced an artificial intelligence system that acts as a “virtual satellite”, combining optical, thermal, radar, climate and other data to accurately characterize the Earth's land mass and coastal waters. The resulting single data set “gives scientists and researchers a globally consistent understanding of the planet,” explains Christopher Brown, senior research engineer at Google DeepMind. The computationally efficient custom maps created with this model—already used by more than 50 organizations—can be used by governments, companies, nonprofits, and scientists to solve a wide range of problems, from mapping ecosystems and supply chains to analyzing how the planet is changing over time. Brown hopes that by removing barriers to entry, the technology could lead to an “explosion in geoscience.”
Factory automation
Although industrial robots have been a fixture on the factory floor since the 1930s, their brains have recently begun to catch up with their brawn. Xiaomi now operates a so-called “dark factory” in Beijing – so automated that it can operate in dim light – and produces a flagship smartphone every year. six seconds The system is monitored by only a few technicians. Meanwhile, German tech giant Siemens is developing artificial intelligence-driven industrial assistants that help engineers control robots using natural language and autonomously identify mechanical problems, leading to efficiency gains of up to 30%, says chief technology and strategy officer Peter Korte. He adds that much of AI's future impact depends on transforming the industrial world. “At the end of the day, it’s a big part of the economy.”
Autonomous military drones
Losing a signal—often due to complex interference—used to spell doom for a drone. But when some of the 117 drones involved in Ukraine's Operation Web in June went offline, the onboard A.I. took the reins of power, the Security Service of Ukraine reports. The operation, which resulted in the destruction of 12 Russian bombers, is the most “striking” example of AI's combat capabilities, says Mikhail Fedorov, Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, who led Brave1, a government initiative to unite Ukraine's defense and technology industries. He says that while today's drones can follow predetermined goals, future models aim for greater autonomy. “Essentially, the situation on the battlefield depends on who wins this battle of autonomous drones,” says Fedorov.
Correction, September 1.
The original version of this story incorrectly stated the amount raised by Epoch Biodesign.. That's $35 million, not $18.3 million.
