AI in Science

Artificial intelligence (AI) approaches are being accelerated into STEM. With the new frontier of capable and productive algorithms, there has been a sharp upward shift in the power, accessibility and public profile of AI.

AI offers enormous potential through the economy of labour and by pushing human limits of logic and creativity. AI has the capacity to facilitate transdisciplinary collaborations through the integration of complimentary research. However, AI may also be misinformative, which can be challenging to recognise and contain. A critical need exists within the emerging national STEM leadership to be able to efficiently access relevant knowledge about AI, to use its strengths and recognise and address the risks, and build connections with experts and peers in AI.

The AI in Science project aims to support Australia’s emerging early and mid-career STEM leaders in embracing the opportunities and challenges of rapid developments in AI. Hosted by The Australian National University, the AI in Science project received grant funding from the Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia)* administered by the Australian Academy of Science. The project also received additional sponsorship from Australia’s National Science Agency, CSIRO.

Early- and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Rapid Fire Presentations

As part of this project, EMCRs from around Australia were invited to submit Rapid-Fire Presentations showcasing their research using AI.

Watch these presentations.

Resources for Researchers using AI

EMCRs were also invited to run activities that supported Australian researchers to develop practical skills and knowledge to work effectively with large language models (LLMs) and generative AI systems, and to broaden their AI literacy. Explore the curated resources developed through these activities:

• Using AI Effectively at Work
• Building Generative AI Literacy and Metacognition in Researchers.

AI in Science EMCR Consortium

As part of the AI in Science Conference on 6 November 2024, an Australian EMCR Consortium for AI in Science was formed. The main aim of the Consortium is to develop a position statement on the implications of AI for scientific research in Australia. The position statement will be made available here upon completion.

About the Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia)

The Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) supports activities which provide tangible benefits to Australia’s early- and mid-career researcher (EMCR) community, with the overall goal of furthering scientific discovery. Activities are managed by the Australian Academy of Science and funds are made available by the generous support of the Royal Society through the Theo Murphy (Australia) Fund.