Pushing back the boundaries of research with AI

Artificial intelligence: are we heading for a dystopic future, or one in which a labour force is relieved from menial tasks?Machine learning is second-guessing us; is this making our lives easier, or is it intrusive? Corporates are hoovering up content to train large language models in ways that are hard for users to control. But there is no doubt that AI, and related tools, are pushing back the boundaries of research.AI can be framed as technology that impacts us negatively, but today’s guests are achieving results and gaining knowledge that would not have been possible without it.John Kelleher is the director of the ADAPT ResearchIreland Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology andprofessor of Computer Science at Trinity College, Dublin. Jane Ohlmeyer is professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin, chair of the Irish Research Council, andan expert on New British and Atlantic Histories. She is applying AI to the recovery of the lived experiences of ‘ordinary’, non-elite women in early modern Ireland. Béla Mihalik is a senior developer at Ideas Science,in Hungary. He specialises in the application of AI and deep learning to develop novel tools that can rapidly screen potential biothreats in the form of pathogens and bacteria.