FutureHouse, a nonprofit backed by Eric Schmidt, aims to create an artificial intelligence (AI) scientist in ten years, TechCrunch reports. FutureHouse launched a platform with AI tools to assist scientific work.

Many startups race to build AI tools for science, supported by big funding. Tech giants like Google also explore AI for science. Google introduced an AI co-scientist to help form hypotheses, which are educated guesses, and research plans. Leaders of AI firms OpenAI and Anthropic believe AI can speed up discoveries, especially in medicine. However, many scientists doubt AI’s reliability for guiding research. They find AI often makes errors.

FutureHouse released four AI tools named Crow, Falcon, Owl, and Phoenix. Crow searches scientific papers and answers questions. Falcon dives deeper into literature, including special databases. Owl checks for past studies on a topic. Phoenix helps plan chemistry experiments. FutureHouse claims its tools access many high-quality, open-access papers. The tools also use clear reasoning steps to evaluate sources carefully. FutureHouse says that, by linking these AIs, scientists can work faster.

Challenges in AI for scientific breakthroughs

FutureHouse has not yet made a new discovery with its tools. Creating an AI scientist is tough due to many unpredictable factors. AI can help explore large options, like narrowing down drug possibilities. However, it struggles with creative problem-solving needed for major breakthroughs.

Past AI efforts in science show mixed results. In 2023, Google’s AI, GNoME, claimed to create 40 new materials. An outside review found none were truly new. AI often hallucinates, meaning it invents false information, worrying scientists. Even good studies risk errors from unreliable AI, especially in precise tasks. FutureHouse admits its tools, especially Phoenix, may err. Therefore, scientists should remain cautious about using AI for serious research.

However, FutureHouse released these AI tools “in the spirit of rapid iteration,” notes the FutureHouse announcement. “Please provide feedback as you use it!”

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