Can AI help humans understand the universe? Exploring two technical routes for AI to explore the universe
Recently, Elon Musk formally announced the establishment of xAI, an artificial intelligence (AI) enterprise. Its primary objective is to endeavor to comprehend the cosmos and concentrate on elucidating profound scientific inquiries.
Within the vast expanse of the universe, the realm of the unknown perpetually appears to surpass that which is known. Hence, can AI assist humanity in comprehending the universe? What are the technical pathways through which AI can aid humans in unlocking the mysteries of the cosmos? In the times to come, how will AI and humans synergistically harness their respective strengths to facilitate seamless scientific exploration?
Can acquire knowledge and ‘evolve’ autonomously akin to a sentient entity.
“From the atomic nucleus to the genesis of the universe, all of these phenomena reside within the domain of the nature of the cosmos. Musk has declared that the aim in establishing xAI is to fathom the nature of the universe, thereby necessitating the AI he envisions to possess a deeper and more profound capacity than any other competing AI product. A realm of sagacity,” affirmed Wu Jiaji, a professor at the School of Electronic Engineering at Xi’an University of Electronic Science and Technology, in an interview with a Science and Technology Daily reporter.
According to Musk, this competing product predominantly encompasses generative AI, such as ChatGPT. Numerous generative AIs can respond to inquiries posed by humans, but how do they differ, in terms of technical principles, from the AI envisioned by Musk that can truly apprehend the universe?
Wu Jiaji elucidated that generative AI primarily generates novel data by assimilating and extracting patterns from samples. It concentrates more on prediction and the generation of natural language. This technique finds extensive application in domains such as text or image processing, yet its profundity and breadth remain relatively constrained. For AI to truly comprehend the universe, it must not only generate novel data, but also focus on the profound comprehension and analysis of diverse cosmic information, the laws governing the evolution of entities, and the comprehensive structure of phenomena. Its profundity and breadth should be considerably deeper and broader. This necessitates AI to possess enhanced levels of intellect and generalization capabilities, as well as heightened levels of cognition and ‘imagination.’
However, AI lacks the faculty of conscious deliberation. How can AI, bereft of deep contemplation, genuinely comprehend various enigmas and aid in humanity’s exploration of the laws governing the development of entities?
“The prevailing notion that AI lacks the capacity for contemplative thought arises from its prior training on copious existing data, rendering it unable to transcend the confines of knowledge built upon the foundation of such training data. However, the AI envisioned by Musk might employ a combined Recurrent Neural Network (RCNN), thereby enabling AI to independently learn and continuously ‘evolve’ akin to a living organism, ultimately bestowing upon it unpredictable self-enlightenment capabilities and even the prowess to unravel enigmatic predicaments,” expounded Wu Jiaji.
Hence, what prerequisites must be met for AI to acquire these capabilities? Wu Jiaji posits that this necessitates copious amounts of data, comprehensive algorithms, and formidable computing power and storage capabilities. Data serves as the ‘nourishment’ for AI, as it necessitates data to engage in profound learning; autonomous and adaptable algorithms play a pivotal role in enabling AI to deeply comprehend and analyze diverse intricate cosmic information and laws; and robust computing and storage capabilities constitute the bedrock for AI’s ‘logistical support,’ enabling it to fully unleash its inherent capabilities. Only when these prerequisites are fulfilled can we initially construct an AI capable of comprehending the universe.
Two technical pathways exist for training AI capable of apprehending the universe.
The universe is replete with vastness and complexity. To fathom the nature of the cosmos, scientists must scrutinize copious amounts of data obtained from telescopes, satellites, and other observation instruments. Analyzing and processing data lies within the purview of AI’s strengths.
“With the capacity to expeditiously and accurately process, analyze, and simulate extensive data, AI can assist scientists in identifying and discerning data that may not be immediately comprehensible, thereby formulating predictions with the potential to revolutionize our comprehension of the universe. Moreover, considering the existence of copious unobservable dark matter in the cosmos, scientists may require AI endowed with inspirational learning and creative capabilities to undertake hypothetical thought experiments,” conveyed Wu Jiaji.
For instance, astronomers are currently endeavoring to construct comprehensive cosmic models that explicate the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe. However, hindered by limited computational power, extant cosmological models can solely depict the universe with restricted features, rendering them inadequate for capturing the precision demanded by the vast cosmos. Wu Jiaji emphasized that by embracing the concept of AI for Science (i.e., scientific research driven by artificial intelligence) and amalgamating existing astronomical observation data with artificial intelligence technology, the exploration of novel universe models becomes a feasible prospect. Such models boast exceptional representation and generalization capabilities, possessing the ability to learn and evolve autonomouslyto refine their accuracy and encompass a broader range of cosmic phenomena.
The first technical pathway involves the integration of AI with existing astronomical observation data. By employing advanced machine learning algorithms, AI can analyze vast amounts of observational data and identify hidden patterns, correlations, and anomalies that may elude human comprehension. This data-driven approach can lead to new discoveries and insights into the nature of the universe. AI models can be trained to recognize and classify astronomical objects, predict their behavior, and even simulate complex cosmological processes.
The second pathway entails the utilization of AI’s generative capabilities to aid in the exploration of hypothetical scenarios and the generation of novel cosmic models. By combining existing knowledge with imaginative thinking, AI can simulate alternative universes, evolution scenarios, and physical phenomena. These simulations can help scientists test hypotheses, explore the boundaries of our understanding, and guide future observations and experiments. AI’s ability to generate imaginative and creative outputs can inspire new avenues of scientific inquiry and accelerate our quest for cosmic understanding.
In both pathways, the collaboration between AI and human scientists is crucial. While AI can process and analyze vast amounts of data and generate novel insights, human expertise is essential for interpreting the results, formulating hypotheses, and designing experiments. The synergy between human intuition, creativity, and critical thinking, along with AI’s computational power and pattern recognition capabilities, can lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe.
However, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges and limitations associated with AI’s role in comprehending the cosmos. The universe is an immensely complex system, and there are inherent uncertainties, unknowns, and limitations in our observational data. AI models can be prone to biases, overfitting, and extrapolating beyond the scope of available information. Ensuring the reliability, robustness, and interpretability of AI-generated insights is a critical aspect of leveraging AI for scientific exploration.
In conclusion, the establishment of xAI by Elon Musk signifies a concerted effort to harness the power of AI in comprehending the universe. The envisioned AI goes beyond conventional generative models and aims to possess profound comprehension, analysis, and imaginative capabilities. By integrating AI with vast amounts of observational data and leveraging its generative potential, scientists can unlock new insights, simulate hypothetical scenarios, and refine our models of the cosmos. The collaboration between AI and human scientists holds the key to unraveling the mysteries of the universe and advancing our understanding of the laws governing its existence and evolution.
