It has become nearly impossible for human researchers to keep track of the overwhelming abundance of scientific publications in the field of artificial intelligence and to stay up-to-date with advances.
In the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), the number of scientific publications is growing exponentially and approximately doubling every 23 months. For human researchers, it is nearly impossible to keep up with progress and maintain a comprehensive overview.
Mario Krenn, research group leader at the Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen, approaches the solution to this challenge in an unconventional way. He has developed a new graph-based tool, Science4Cast, which allows for posing questions about the future development of AI research.
Prior to this, the international research group had announced the Science4Cast competition with the aim of capturing and predicting the development of scientific concepts in the field of AI research, determining which topics will be the focus of future research. More than 50 contributions with different approaches were submitted.
Krenn, together with the top-ranking teams, has now examined the various methods applied, ranging from purely statistical to purely learning methods, and arrived at surprising results. “The most effective methods use a carefully curated set of network features and not a continuous AI approach,” said Mario Krenn. This suggests significant potential that can be unlocked using pure ML approaches without human knowledge.
Science4Cast is a graph-based representation of knowledge which becomes more complex over time as more scientific articles are published. Each node in the graph represents a concept in AI, and the connections between nodes indicate whether and when two concepts were studied together.
For example, the question “What will happen” can be described as a mathematical question about the further development of the graph. Science4Cast is fed with real data from over 100,000 scientific publications spanning a 30-year period, resulting in a total of 64,000 nodes.
However, predicting what researchers will work on in the future is just a first step. In their work the researchers describe how further development of Science4Cast could soon provide personalized suggestions for individual scientists regarding their future research projects.
“Our ambition is to develop a method that serves as an inspiration source for scientists—almost like an artificial muse. This could potentially accelerate the progress of science in the future,” explains Krenn.
More information: Mario Krenn et al, Forecasting the future of artificial intelligence with machine learning-based link prediction in an exponentially growing knowledge network, Nature Machine Intelligence (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-023-00735-0
![](https://www.nanoappsmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/spacer.jpg)
News
Ethics in Nanomedicine: Key Issues and Principles
Nanomedicine, a branch of nanotechnology, is revolutionizing healthcare by enabling the manipulation of materials at the nanoscale to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases. Unlike traditional treatments, nanoparticles (NPs) are highly precise in targeting diseased [...]
A call for robust H5N1 influenza preparedness and response
As the global threat of H5N1 influenza looms with outbreaks across species and continents including the U.S., three international vaccine and public health experts say it is time to fully resource and support a [...]
Mucosal COVID-19 boosters outperform mRNA shots in preventing upper airway infections
In a recent study published in Nature Immunology, a team of researchers from the United States used non-human primate models to compare the protection conferred by an intramuscular booster dose of the bivalent messenger ribonucleic acid [...]
How Space Travel Really Changes Astronauts – From the Inside Out
International team reveals previously unknown effects on physiology that could shape the future of long-duration space missions. Researchers have discovered significant changes in the gut microbiome due to spaceflight, which affects host physiology and [...]
Breakthrough in blood stem cell development offers hope for leukemia and bone marrow failure
Melbourne researchers have made a world first breakthrough into creating blood stem cells that closely resemble those in the human body. And the discovery could soon lead to personalized treatments for children with leukemia [...]
Scientists Develop Game-Changing Needle-Free COVID-19 Intranasal Vaccine
A new mucosal COVID-19 vaccine poised to revolutionize the delivery process is especially beneficial for those with a fear of needles. A next-generation COVID-19 mucosal vaccine is set to be a game-changer not only when delivering [...]
Scientists Develop All-in-One Solution To Catch and Destroy “Forever Chemicals”
A new water treatment system developed by UBC researchers efficiently removes and destroys PFAS pollutants using a dual-action catalyst, offering a sustainable and cost-effective solution for water purification challenges. Chemical engineers at the University of [...]
New method accelerates drug discovery from years to months
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital have found a new method to increase both speed and success rates in drug discovery. The study, published Aug. 30 in [...]
A new smart mask analyzes your breath to monitor your health
Your breath can give away a lot about you. Each exhalation contains all sorts of compounds, including possible biomarkers for disease or lung conditions, that could give doctors a valuable insight into your health. [...]
Study reveals the role of blood clotting in COVID-19
In a study that reshapes what we know about COVID-19 and its most perplexing symptoms, scientists have discovered that the blood coagulation protein fibrin causes the unusual clotting and inflammation that have become hallmarks [...]
A Novel Cancer Vaccine Combining Nano-11 and ADU-S100
In a recent article published in npj Vaccines, researchers detailed the development of a novel cancer vaccine that combines a plant-derived nanoparticle adjuvant, Nano-11, with a clinically tested STING agonist, ADU-S100. The primary objective was [...]
AI spots cancer and viral infections with nanoscale precision
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence which can differentiate cancer cells from normal cells, as well as detect the very early stages of viral infection inside cells. The findings, published today in a study [...]
Tiny shards of plastic are increasingly infiltrating our brains, study says
Human brain samples collected at autopsy in early 2024 contained more tiny shards of plastic than samples collected eight years prior, according to a preprint posted online in May. A preprint is a study which has not yet [...]
Scientists Have Discovered Strange DNA in Our Brains – and It Could Be Shortening Our Lives
According to the research, these mitochondrial DNA insertions could be linked to early death. Mitochondria in brain cells frequently insert their DNA into the nucleus, potentially impacting lifespan, as those with more insertions were found to [...]
Watch Out After a Hospital Stay: You Could Be Exposing Your Family to Superbugs
Research indicates hospitals contribute to the local spread of antibiotic-resistant infections. A recent study published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America suggests that family members of [...]
Molecular Trickery: How COVID-19 Silently Sabotages the Human Immune System
Researchers have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 manipulates the human immune system by forcing cells to produce non-functional proteins, hindering the body’s antiviral defenses. This groundbreaking study by teams from prestigious Brazilian universities highlights potential targets for new COVID-19 treatments, [...]