Australia’s national science agency has announced a partnership with Google Australia to boost the use of generative artificial intelligence in science.
The new collaboration, part of an existing five-year partnership between the organisations, aims to boost the use of AI in the Australian research community via a range of initiatives including joint research, education, training and support.
It encompasses various AI technologies, including generative AI, machine learning, large language models, AI agents, and multi-modal LLM agents.
As part of the deal CSIRO and Google Australia will jointly develop education, training, and support for scientists, focusing on integrating AI into a range of scientific domains.
This includes training tailored to a variety of scientific fields, as well as joint educations sessions and hands-on demonstrations.
It will also see a crowdsourced collaboration where scientists will jointly access infrastructure and data, with resulting insights and knowledge made publicly available.
Using AI in new ways
Director of CSIRO’s AI for Science Program Stefan Harrer says ‘narrow’ AI – or AI trained for a specific task – has been used by scientists for years.
However recent improvements and increased access to generative technology means researchers are able to use AI in totally new ways.
Before generative AI, researchers would spend years developing AI models that couldn’t be scaled up or easily transferred to apply to new scientific problems, which meat AI tools were out of scope for many researchers.
“Responsible use of broad, generative AI has the potential to not only accelerate, but transform scientific discovery,” Dr Harrer says.
Responsible use of broad, generative AI has the potential to not only accelerate, but transform scientific discovery.
Stefan Harrer
“Now there’s been a fundamental shift in the way AI can be used in research, we want to ensure Australian researchers have the skillset to reap the benefits.”
Product Lead for Science AI in Google Research Lizzie Dorfman says AI can accelerate discovery in fields like biology, chemistry and earth sciences.
“I am excited that Google is investing even further in community building within the Australian science community and extending our partnership with CSIRO,” she said.
CSIRO’s five-year AI agreement with Google announced in 2021 has seen automation used to identify invasive starfish on the Great Barrier Reef.
It’s also helping scientists map seagrass meadows to understand carbon sequestration potential, and the technology is assisting with the preservation and restoration of giant kelp forests.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@governmentnews.com.au.
Sign up to the Government News newsletter