The award-winning work of Professor David Baker, the 2024 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, demonstrates the unexpected application value of the "illusion" defect of artificial intelligence. This breakthrough research used the "hallucination" properties of AI models to successfully design new proteins, subverting people's traditional understanding of the limitations of AI. This article will introduce in detail Professor Baker’s research results and the potential application of “AI illusion” in scientific research.
A feature widely regarded as a flaw in artificial intelligence - "illusion" - has become the key to scientific breakthroughs. According to Fortune magazine, Professor David Baker, one of the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, achieved major scientific research breakthroughs by relying on the "hallucination" properties of AI models.
Professor Baker from the University of Washington is the only American scientist among the three Nobel Prize winners in chemistry this year. He used computer software to successfully invent new proteins, an achievement that ultimately earned him the distinction.
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Typically, AI model "hallucination"—that is, the tendency to generate false or inaccurate information—is considered a serious flaw. However, the scientific community's view of this property is changing. Researchers have found that such "creative mistakes" in AI may inspire new research ideas and promote scientific discoveries.
This case overturned people’s traditional understanding of the limitations of AI, showing that even the shortcomings of AI systems can be transformed into sources of innovation under certain circumstances. Scientists point out that AI's "hallucination" ability may open up new research directions and help future scientific discoveries.
Professor Baker's research results were not only recognized by the Nobel Prize, but also provided new ideas for the application of artificial intelligence in scientific research, indicating that the deep integration of AI and scientific research will bring more exciting breakthroughs. AI “illusion” is no longer just a flaw, but another possibility for scientific exploration. In the future, there may be more unexpected scientific discoveries stemming from AI’s “irrational” creativity.