Trusting AI with science
2Digest
This episode of Science and Action from the BBC World Service delves into the intersection of artificial intelligence and science, highlighting the potential benefits and challenges of AI-driven research. The episode features an interview with Alison Noble, a pioneer in AI for healthcare, who discusses the importance of trust and transparency in AI-based tools, particularly in the medical field. The episode also examines the ongoing spread of highly pathogenic bird flu in dairy herds in the United States, with Helen Branswell of Stat News providing insights into the virus's transmission and potential risks. Finally, the episode explores the launch of the European Space Agency's EarthCare satellite, which is designed to provide a clearer vision of clouds and their role in climate change. Helen Brindley, a climate scientist at Imperial College, discusses the importance of understanding cloud feedback and the potential impact of EarthCare's data on climate models.
Outlines
Introduction
This Chapter introduces the podcast, Science and Action, from the BBC World Service.
Artificial Intelligence in Science
This Chapter explores the growing role of artificial intelligence in scientific research, focusing on the potential benefits and challenges of AI-driven tools. The discussion highlights the importance of trust and transparency in AI-based methods, particularly in fields like healthcare, where data privacy and model interpretability are crucial.
Bird Flu in Dairy Herds
This Chapter examines the ongoing spread of highly pathogenic bird flu in dairy herds in the United States. The discussion explores the virus's transmission, potential risks to humans, and the challenges of surveillance and response. The episode features insights from Helen Branswell of Stat News, who provides updates on the situation and highlights the complexities of managing this emerging threat.
EarthCare Satellite Launch
This Chapter focuses on the launch of the European Space Agency's EarthCare satellite, which is designed to provide a clearer vision of clouds and their role in climate change. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding cloud feedback and the potential impact of EarthCare's data on climate models. The episode features insights from Helen Brindley, a climate scientist at Imperial College, who discusses the satellite's capabilities and the significance of its mission.
Keywords
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems. These processes include learning (the acquisition of information and rules for using the information), reasoning (using rules to reach approximate or definite conclusions), and self-correction. AI research has been highly successful in developing effective techniques for solving a wide range of problems, from game playing to medical diagnosis.
Bird Flu
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a contagious viral infection that primarily affects birds. It is caused by influenza A viruses that are commonly found in wild birds. Some strains of bird flu can be highly pathogenic, meaning they can cause severe illness and death in birds. In rare cases, bird flu can also infect humans, leading to serious respiratory illness.
EarthCare Satellite
EarthCare is a satellite mission launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2023. Its primary objective is to study clouds and aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. EarthCare is equipped with advanced instruments, including a lidar and a radar, that will provide detailed information about the vertical structure and properties of clouds. This data will be crucial for improving climate models and understanding the role of clouds in climate change.
mRNA Vaccines
mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine that uses messenger RNA (mRNA) to instruct the body's cells to produce a specific protein. This protein is typically a part of a virus or bacteria, and the immune system learns to recognize and fight off the pathogen. mRNA vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in preventing infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.
Cloud Feedback
Cloud feedback refers to the way clouds respond to changes in climate. As the Earth warms, clouds can either amplify or reduce the initial warming effect. For example, if clouds become more reflective, they can reflect more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling. However, if clouds become thicker or more extensive, they can trap more heat, leading to further warming. Understanding cloud feedback is crucial for accurately predicting future climate change.
H5N1
H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza virus that has been responsible for several outbreaks in poultry and wild birds around the world. H5N1 can cause severe illness and death in birds, and in rare cases, it can also infect humans. The H5N1 strain has been circulating widely in birds and has recently been detected in dairy herds in the United States, raising concerns about potential transmission to humans.
Deep Learning
Deep learning is a type of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks with multiple layers to learn complex patterns from data. Deep learning has been highly successful in various applications, including image recognition, natural language processing, and machine translation. It is a key technology behind many AI-powered tools and services.
Federated Learning
Federated learning is a type of machine learning that allows models to be trained on decentralized data without sharing the raw data itself. This is particularly useful in situations where data privacy is a concern, such as in healthcare. In federated learning, models are trained on individual devices or servers, and only the model updates are shared, preserving the privacy of the underlying data.
Open Science
Open science is a movement that promotes the open sharing of scientific data, methods, and results. Open science aims to increase transparency, collaboration, and reproducibility in scientific research. It encourages researchers to make their work publicly available, allowing others to build upon and verify their findings.
AI Standards
AI standards are guidelines and best practices for developing, deploying, and evaluating AI-based tools. These standards aim to ensure the trustworthiness, reliability, and ethical use of AI systems. They cover aspects such as data quality, model transparency, bias mitigation, and responsible deployment.
Q&A
What are the potential benefits and challenges of using artificial intelligence in scientific research?
AI can accelerate scientific discovery by analyzing vast amounts of data, identifying patterns, and generating hypotheses. However, challenges include ensuring the trustworthiness and transparency of AI-based tools, particularly in fields like healthcare, where data privacy and model interpretability are crucial.
How is bird flu spreading in dairy herds in the United States, and what are the potential risks to humans?
The virus is likely spreading through contaminated milk and milking machines. While the impact on cows is relatively minimal, there are concerns about potential transmission to humans through unpasteurized milk. Studies have shown that H5N1 virus can survive in raw milk and cause illness in mice.
What is the EarthCare satellite, and how will it contribute to our understanding of climate change?
EarthCare is a satellite designed to provide detailed information about clouds and aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. Its data will help scientists understand cloud feedback, a crucial factor in climate change predictions. By studying the vertical structure and properties of clouds, EarthCare will provide insights into how clouds respond to changes in climate and their impact on the Earth's energy balance.
How do mRNA vaccines work, and how can they be used to combat bird flu?
mRNA vaccines instruct the body's cells to produce a specific protein, typically a part of a virus or bacteria. This protein triggers an immune response, enabling the body to fight off the pathogen. mRNA vaccines can be rapidly adapted to target new strains of viruses, making them a promising tool for combating emerging infectious diseases like bird flu.
What are the key uncertainties in climate models, and how can EarthCare help address them?
One of the biggest uncertainties in climate models is cloud feedback, the way clouds respond to changes in climate. EarthCare's advanced instruments will provide detailed information about the vertical structure and properties of clouds, helping scientists better understand cloud feedback and improve climate predictions.
What are the challenges of managing the spread of bird flu in dairy herds?
Challenges include the lack of widespread testing, the difficulty of tracing the virus's movement, and the potential for transmission to humans through contaminated milk. The episode highlights the need for increased surveillance, improved communication, and a coordinated response from public health authorities and agricultural agencies.
How can we ensure the trustworthiness of AI-based tools in scientific research?
Trust in AI-based tools requires transparency, open science practices, and rigorous evaluation. Researchers need to clearly explain their methods, publish their data and algorithms, and demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of their models. The development of AI standards can help ensure the responsible use and deployment of AI in scientific research.
What are the potential implications of the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy herds for human health?
While the risk of transmission to humans is currently considered low, the potential for the virus to mutate and become more transmissible to humans is a concern. The episode highlights the importance of monitoring the situation closely and taking steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
How will EarthCare's data contribute to our understanding of aerosol cloud interactions?
EarthCare's lidar and radar instruments will provide detailed information about the vertical distribution of aerosols and droplets within clouds. This data will help scientists understand how aerosols affect cloud formation, reflectivity, and lifespan, which are crucial factors in climate modeling.
Show Notes
AI is already being used in every branch of science, and will become more and more a feature of future breakthroughs. But with its power to find subtle patterns in massive data sets comes a concern about how we will know when to trust its outcomes, and how to rely on its predictions. Science in Action talks to Alison Noble who just completed a Royal Society report on trust in scientific AI.
With highly pathogenic bird flu infecting around 70 dairy herds across 10 states in the USA, including a herd of alpacas, we get an update from health journalist Helen Branswell of StatNews on the latest science and efforts to get on top of the infection.
Also, from the pioneers of the mRNA vaccines that helped turn around the COVID pandemic, an experimental version that could be rolled out rapidly if the bird flu does cross worryingly into people. University of Pennsylvania’s Scott Hensley described how it works, and how promising it looks.
Science in Action also hears how Europe’s new EarthCARE satellite, equipped to peer deep inside clouds, will tackle one of the biggest unknowns in the science of global warming.
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
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