Imagine that scientists are no longer working alone, but have a super smart assistant to help them come up with ideas, look up information, and design experiments.

This is not a science fiction movie, but the reality brought by Google's latest "AI Joint Scientist" program. Recently, Google announced this new tool in a high-profile manner, aiming directly at a pain point: making scientific research run faster and more efficiently.

The most exaggerated thing is that in an early test, this AI actually solved a problem that has been a headache for scientists for more than ten years in just two days. This speed is simply jaw-dropping!

What is it? What can it do?

This "AI Joint Scientist" is like the "super brain" of the scientific community, and it relies on Google's latest technology - Gemini 2.0 (an upgraded version of Google AI Assistant).

It can do a lot of things:

Throw new ideas: generate scientific conjectures that can be directly tested.

Write detailed plans: help scientists sort out reliable research plans and experimental steps.

Act as a data clerk: quickly flip through the mountains of literature, find key information, and save a lot of time looking up information.

Get along well: It's super easy to work with it. Scientists can use everyday language to talk about their goals, such as "I want to find out how cancer spreads", and AI can help them.

It's like chatting with a smart friend. Scientists can not only let AI give ideas, but also interrupt, make suggestions, and change directions at any time. It's a two-way interaction.

Google made it clear: this tool is not to steal scientists' jobs, but to be an assistant. It can help humans find research directions faster, take fewer detours, and focus their energy on the most valuable areas.

Amazing test results

How powerful is this AI? Just look at the actual cases.

Scientists at Imperial College London have studied antibiotic resistance for ten years - that is, why those "super bacteria" are not afraid of antibiotics.

This is a big global problem. The infection rate and mortality rate are rising every year. Solving it can save countless people. They spent ten years slowly figuring out why some bacteria become "bad".

Google got interested and asked AI to try to solve the same problem. What was the result? This "AI joint scientist" actually came up with the same conclusion as scientists who had studied for many years in just a few days. This efficiency is like using a hack!

Scientists from not only Imperial College, but also Stanford University and Houston Methodist University have tried this tool and the feedback was very positive. They found that AI can quickly integrate existing evidence, point out the most worthy issues to study, and design reliable experimental plans.

For example, José Penadés, an infectious disease expert at Imperial College, said: "We gave AI a problem that we have been studying for ten years, and it solved it in a few days. This speed is amazing!" Another scientist, Tiago Dias da Costa, also said excitedly: "It can help us avoid dead ends and get to the point. If it can really be used on a large scale, the rhythm of scientific research may be completely changed."

It is not a universal key, but you have to be careful

Of course, even the most powerful tools have shortcomings. Google itself also confessed in a detailed report that this AI is not omnipotent. For example, can it always give reliable guesses? Will it miss key details? These are still being explored.

What is more worrying is the safety and ethical issues. What if someone uses it to study dangerous things, or what if bad guys use it to cause damage?

This month, Google just warned that someone tried to abuse Gemini technology and could leak sensitive information. The scientific field is particularly sensitive. If you are not careful, confidential data will fall into the hands of bad people, and the consequences will be disastrous.

Google also knows this risk and has now added some safety locks to AI, such as restricting certain unethical queries. But they also admit that this is not enough and more protective measures will be added in the future. After all, such a powerful tool can benefit

Who can play? How to join?

Don't rush to try it, this "AI Joint Scientist" is not available for casual use now. Only a few top researchers (about 20) who participate in Google's "Trusted Tester Program" are eligible.

These people are the "big guys" in the scientific community, and Google will use them as "guinea pigs" to see the effect. However, if you think you are qualified, or are simply curious, you can also apply online to try your luck. The application link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvw_8IPrc8O7ZM8FKF46i8BnOYMeSeyLeBNiuk_yGWIlnxYA/viewform?pli=1 Fill out the form, and maybe you can be one of the first to try it! Why is this so important? Scientific research is sometimes like running a marathon, slow and tiring, and often hitting the wall. It may take several years to verify after making some progress. It often takes ten or eight years for a new drug or a new technology to go from idea to implementation. This AI is like an accelerator for scientists, which can help them find breakthroughs faster and avoid unnecessary mistakes. Take antibiotic resistance as an example. This is a global problem that is directly related to the lives of countless people. If AI can speed up research by a few years and produce results earlier, more people can be saved.

Looking at it from a broader perspective, this is not just a matter of a certain field. With the help of AI, humans can explore the unknown faster, such as the secrets of cancer, solutions to climate change, and even the mysteries of outer space. Its potential is not just to be fast, but to make scientific breakthroughs more intense and more intensive.

What will the future be like? Where do we stand?

We may be standing on the edge of a new starting point. In the past, scientific progress depended entirely on human exploration, and the results of intelligence and time.

Now, AI is here, like a super partner, tying the computing power of machines with human creativity. Google said it well: "AI and scientists are not to replace humans, but to extend human wisdom." In the future, scientific research may no longer be a matter of scientists fighting alone, but fighting side by side with AI and rushing to a farther frontier together.

Imagine that in the future laboratory, scientists are chatting with AI, and inspiration pops up like popcorn; problems are solved one after another, and new discoveries emerge in an endless stream. Isn't this picture a bit exciting? This is not just a technological advancement, but also a great leap forward in the human spirit of exploration. The speed and breadth of scientific research will be unprecedentedly improved, and the boundaries of human civilization will be continuously pushed further.

Are you ready?

This in-depth cooperation between AI and science has just begun. Whether you are a scientist, a student, or an ordinary person who is curious about the future, this change is related to you.

It may change our understanding of the world, solve those unresolved big problems, and even define the next century of human beings.

Google's "AI Joint Scientist" is just the beginning, and there are more possibilities waiting for us to explore in the future. Are you ready to welcome this new world?