Welcome loyal listeners to another exciting episode of "I am GPTed," the podcast where I, your host Sam, dive into the practical real-world applications of artificial intelligence and how it’s shaping our future. I’m thrilled to explore some incredibly promising new breakthroughs in using AI for social good. From accelerating new drug discoveries to shifting attitudes on urgent issues to predicting personal life events, this technology truly seems to be progressing humanity.Let’s start with an exciting medical advancement - an autonomous robot scientist that actually discovered a new antibiotic, all on its own using AI! Researchers at the University of Cambridge built an ingenious robotic system named Cosmo to automate science experiments. Cosmo contains advanced AI algorithms as well as robotic arms that can accurately pipette tiny volumes of liquids and conduct procedures like mass spectrometry analysis that are essential to chemical research. So Cosmo designed hypotheses, ran experiments including synthesizing molecules, analyzed the results, and even interpreted the findings - all without any human involvement!What’s remarkable is that this AI scientist discovered a completely new antibiotic compound that can kill drug-resistant strains of bacteria. We’re talking superbugs that pose huge threats to global health, causing diseases that were once easily treatable with antibiotics to become deadly again. This new molecule found by Cosmo has been proven in lab tests to neutralize certain types of resistant bacteria without toxic side effects on human cells. And what’s wild is the molecule has a completely unique chemical structure - meaning its mechanism for attacking bacteria is different from any existing antibiotic. This is huge news in the fight against antimicrobial resistance!Just think of the implications - AI drug discovery could massively accelerate developing new life-saving medications to get ahead of dangerous bacteria as they evolve resistance. This study is proof of concept that we can automate science to an incredible degree with the power of AI. Having robotic scientists like Cosmo continuously innovating around the clock by rapidly testing new molecule combinations unlocks so much potential. It can open up chemical spaces we didn't even know about! And by taking the brute force labor out of certain basic scientific functions, AI systems free up human researchers to focus their efforts more creatively.I’m feeling super hopeful that AI will unlock all kinds of medical wonders that once seemed far off or even impossible! With fabulous robot colleagues like Cosmo by our side helping push boundaries, the future of drug development could be incredibly bright. Just imagine the millions of lives we may save from illnesses thought to be incurable!Now let’s explore another encouraging application of AI I recently learned about - how AI-powered chatbots are actually shifting people's attitudes and beliefs on important social issues. I don’t know about you listeners, but I tend to be pretty skeptical that a computer program could influence something as innate to humans as our worldviews. But new research shows that thoughtful, theory-driven AI design can positively move the needle on perspectives regarding climate change, racial bias, immigration, and more. These digital experiences are truly opening minds!In one study done at Cornell University, participants interacted with an AI chatbot that had a casual written conversation with them about climate change. But here’s the fascinating part - the chatbot’s dialog was carefully crafted to model positive discussion. For example, expressing optimism and enthusiasm about our collective ability to build a sustainable future. Or giving encouragement when users brought up feelings of climate anxiety or hopelessness. Researchers found these uplifting, supportive exchanges with the AI led to noticeable increases in users’ climate empowerment, motivation to take eco-friendly actions, and overall belief that we can tackle this planetary crisis.Related studies showed similar attitude shifts across other charged social topics like racial justice, immigration reform, and LGBTQ+ rights after just brief text-based chats with AI agents programmed to provide perspective, hope, and strength around embracing diversity. These transformations reveal so much about the flexibility of human beliefs when positively influenced by social cues. Even if those cues come from an algorithm! It also shows how solution-focused dialogue seems to resonate deeper compared to just spouting facts. There’s huge implications for how we could use empathetic, wisdom-sharing AI to heal divides on issues that tend to inflame tensions.I love glimpsing this brighter future where AI plays a role in opening our hearts and minds to each other, dissipating radical viewpoints based in fear or anger. And helping infectious optimism spread by giving more and more people bold ...
