AI discovers new drugs AND wins a literary prize!

Greetings, intelligists!

The holidays are approaching! But knowing us and our work ethic/obsession, we might not take a single day off so that you have something to read on Christmas morning!

The growing creative abilities of AI platforms dominate today’s headlines. In one instance, we have AI being used to discover new drugs, which will undoubtedly be live-saving. In another, we have AI writing novels and winning prizes for them. We are unsure how that will benefit humanity.

One thing seems certain: AI-generated content will continue to grow. It is a hot topic, with artists, writers, and other creators frequently criticizing the quality of AI output. I think that they frequently have a point, but there are other issues at stake.

For example, the general public's taste seems to continue declining in the era of smartphones and social media. Algorithms have taken the place of critical judgment. Just spend an hour on TikTok and you can plainly see that the art and craft that rules today is that of getting attention and catering to increasingly short attention spans.

So it is no wonder that AI is good at making content. More and more people are demanding brainless, cookie-cutter content that is so banal that even a machine could invent it.

I know it’s controversial, but that is how I see it!

Anyways, enough ranting. Here is today’s newsletter.

Joaquin

The AI Job Revolution Has Yet to Take Hold

We know it's coming, but it hasn't completely taken off yet. The Wall Street Journal noted this week that the anticipated wave of AI specialist positions has not yet been established. However, it's not for the reasons you might expect.

While your first instinct might be to think that companies don't need AI, the contrary is true. As the WSJ notes, many businesses remain outliers due to the complexity of the process of deciding how to integrate AI. Many organizations are risk-averse and have concerns about AI leading to issues such as data leaks and other breaches. Others are seeking ways to find in-house solutions to manage AI leadership.

Despite this, there has been a 60% rise in the past year for positions mentioning AI.

Read More: wsj.com

AI's Role in the Workplace: More of a Tool than a Replacement

The Human Touch: Skills AI Can't Replace

While AI is amazing, there are human skills that (at least for now) can’t be replaced. Emotional capacity, complex decision-making, social sensitivity, leadership, and the triple Cs - creativity, critical thinking, and communication - are competencies where AI falls short​​​​​​​​. AI, while a powerful tool, so far cannot replicate the nuanced human touch required in these areas.

The big takeaway here is the complementary nature of AI in the workplace. It's also a wakeup call to focus on enhancing human skills that AI cannot replace. The importance of a symbiotic relationship between technology and human intelligence will undoubtedly be critical as the AI revolution advances.

Read More: Rediff.com

A New AI-Driven Discovery in Antibiotic Research

Unlocking New Avenues in Medicine

A new class of antibiotics has been discovered for the first time in decades. Incredibly, it was done with the help of AI.

A joint MIT-Harvard Broad Program team leveraged deep learning to identify new structural classes of antibiotics, addressing the critical challenge of antibiotic resistance​​. Their method combined AI's ability to analyze vast chemical spaces with human insights.

The result: the work led to the discovery of compounds effective against resistant bacteria like MRSA.

This breakthrough demonstrates the unlimited potential of AI in accelerating medical research. By providing explainable insights into chemical structures, AI expedites discovery and enhances our understanding of drug efficacy and safety.

Read More: Nature

An AI-Written Novel Wins a National Literature Award

An AI-generated science fiction novel crafted by a professor from Tsinghua University won a national award in China​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. The novel, blending AI and human creativity, raises questions about the future of literary creativity and AI's role in content creation.

Shen Yang, a journalism professor in Beijing, submitted the novel without ironic intentions. His work, The Land of Machine Memory, is a science fiction novel that used some 66 prompts using a large language model (LLM).

This event marks a significant moment in the intersection of AI and literature. While it showcases AI's capability to aid in creative processes, it also sparks debates about the authenticity and emotional depth of AI-generated content.

No word yet on whether AI will have to turn to drugs, alcohol, and despair, as many great human novelists have done in the past.

Read More: CyberNews