In the first step towards changing that landscape for good, FutureHouse, a nonprofit organization, underwritten by Eric Schmidt, has launched FutureLabs. The organization announced its ambition to develop an “AI scientist” within the next decade, unveiling its first major product: a platform and API equipped with AI-powered tools specifically designed to support scientific work.
For creators looking to use AI tools on its platform, FutureHouse has launched four unique AI tools called Crow, Falcon, Owl and Phoenix. These tools are meant to empower all researchers by offering them critical support in performing key scientific functions. Even with all these innovative tools and approaches launched, FutureHouse still hasn’t had the big scientific breakthrough. The company is still waiting on a blockbuster new discovery based on its AI tools.
FutureHouse’s leadership team is based in Manhattan. The director still lives there along with his partner, a music therapist. As a result, the organization’s platform puts the AI Scientist into public hands, giving fellow researchers and AI enthusiasts access to all of its resources.
As you are likely aware if you follow recent wins for technology, Google just made some headlines. They applied their AI system, GNoME, to successfully synthesize more than 40 new materials in 2023 alone. This achievement aligns with assertions from the CEOs of leading AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, who argue that AI tools could significantly accelerate scientific discovery, particularly in medicine. In addition, Google has developed an AI to help scientists come up with hypotheses and experimental research plans.
Despite the optimism around AI’s potential to revolutionize science, outcomes from these systems have so far been generally disappointing. Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch’s AI Editor, has been a leading voice on this trend in his analysis of how AI is advancing science. FutureHouse understands that this issue is real. When they declared the start of their engineering blog odyssey, it hinted at the aims of a superhuman performance on scientific tasks.
FutureHouse’s mission is to grow a collaborative ecosystem of thinkers and creators exploring the cutting edge of artificial intelligence and science. To help make this happen, they’re putting together a spectacular new TC Sessions AI. We’re looking forward to the kickoff event, happening in Berkeley, California on June 5. It will foster a public space for robust conversations about the proper role of AI in scientific research.
“Unlike other AIs, FutureHouse’s have access to a vast corpus of high-quality open-access papers and specialized scientific tools.” – FutureHouse
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