Is AI the new research scientist? Not so, according to a human-led study

0x5f3759df-i · 2025-03-29T01:28:18 1743211698

People are really over indexing on current AI capabilities.

We’re barely 2 years on from ChatGPT’s initial release and we’ve gone from “this thing can put words together in a semi-coherent way” to “this thing produces undergrad level research papers on anything you ask about”.

Where will we be in another 2 years? Probably not at AGI, but there’s no sign this is slowing down.

ilrwbwrkhv · 2025-03-29T01:04:19 1743210259

It will never be. I don't know why people keep trying to make it into a research scientist. It's a great helper but it has no original insight and breakthroughs happen through original insight. LLMs are simply a conditional probability net of existing data so it can never ever have an original insight. I don't know why this is so hard.

great_psy · 2025-03-29T01:11:12 1743210672

I wouldn’t be so dismissive. Research is just a loop of hypothesis, experiments, collect data, make new hypothesis. There’s so creativity required for scientific breakthroughs, but 99.9% percent of scientists don’t need this creativity. Just need grit and stamina.

goatlover · 2025-03-29T01:09:01 1743210541

And why is there even a desire to replace research scientists? Presumably this is the kind of job humans find meaningful and are good at. I don't understand AI as a replacement for humans instead of a smart tool for humans to make use of.

dailykoder · 2025-03-29T01:28:21 1743211701

Why is there even a desire to replace software developers? Presumably this is the kind of job humans find meaningful

Why is there even a desire to replace car manufacturers? Presumably this is the kind of job humans find meaningful

[...]

dantheman · 2025-03-29T01:15:29 1743210929

Why? to increase productivity and improve the human condition. If AI can do research then technological and scientific progress will increase dramatically.

umanwizard · 2025-03-29T01:25:37 1743211537

In a world where human labor is no longer necessary, why do you think the people who control the AI models will care about “improving the condition” of anyone but themselves?

goatlover · 2025-03-29T01:25:24 1743211524

For who though? The research scientist can no longer do the work they trained for. Apply this to the entire economy at some point, and you have a serious problem.

ninetyninenine · 2025-03-29T01:16:37 1743210997

There's an unknown cost if all human endeavor becomes replaceable by AI. I would be cautious about this.

ninetyninenine · 2025-03-29T01:15:50 1743210950

Talk to the person who pays the scientist. Anyone who works, works for someone. Who you work for is the person who wants to replace you.

goatlover · 2025-03-29T01:22:03 1743211323

I don't see that as a net good for society. I do see it as eventual grounds for another French-style Revolution.

ninetyninenine · 2025-03-29T01:14:45 1743210885

The biggest problem with LLMs isn't that it lacks original insight. It's that the insight is so original that we call that insight hallucinations.

We like to think Humans are the most creative things on the face of the earth and we don't like to attribute creativity to LLMs. The sad reality is that LLMs are likely more creative then humans.

awofford · 2025-03-29T01:17:39 1743211059

I think the distinction is that hallucinations are incorrect. You can be super creative building a new chair, but if you can’t sit in it, it’s not a chair.

conception · 2025-03-29T01:20:05 1743211205

Right. So you have a testing framework/agent/other llm. It’s not like our brain is one independent machine. It’s various parts all contributing different aspects of intelligence.

pclmulqdq · 2025-03-29T01:16:36 1743210996

Most humans are also too creative, but we have moderating impulses that tell us so much. Very few humans have the skill of being able to ride the cutting edge without going too far off either side of it, and most can only do that in a very narrow subfield.

ArthurStacks · 2025-03-29T01:20:06 1743211206

Another headline to correct: "whiney desperate scientists fearing their grift is up, claim that AI research isnt that good"

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