> Starting from a dense or fully connected graph, PyTheus uses gradient descent combined with topological optimization to find minimal graphs corresponding to some target quantum experiment
The AI rediscovered an interferometer technique the Russian's found decades ago, optimized a graph in an unusual way and came up with a formula to better fit a dark matter plot.
It's like seeing things in clouds or tea leaves.
At least, that's the thinking.
Yes the AI "resurfaced" the work, but it also incorporated the Russian's theory into the practical design. At least enough to say "hey make sure you look at this" - this means the system produced a workable-something w/ X% improvement, or some benefit that the researchers took it seriously and investigated. Obviously, that yielded an actual design with 10-15% improvement and a "wish we had this earlier" statement.
No one was paying attention to the work before.
There are a few things like that where we can throw AI at a problem is generating something better, even if we don't know why exactly it's better yet.
This description reminds me of NASA’s evolved antennae from a couple of decades ago. It was created by genetic algorithms:
But I'm not paid by the click, so different incentives.
Isn't that a delay line? The benefit being that when the undelayed and delayed signals are mixed, the phase shift you're looking for is amplified.
anonym00se1•3h ago
"AI comes up with bizarre ___________________, but it works!"
ninetyninenine•3h ago
Imagine these headlines mutating slowly into “all software engineering performed by AI at certain company” and we will just dismiss it as generic because being employed and programming with keyboards is old fashioned. Give it twenty years and I bet this is the future.
hammyhavoc•2h ago
somenameforme•1h ago
Of course today call something "AI" and suddenly interest, and presumably grant opportunities, increase by a few orders of magnitude.
ninetyninenine•1h ago
somenameforme•1h ago
ordu•7m ago
OTOH, AI is very much a search in multidimensional spaces, it is so into it, that it would probably make sense to say that gradient descent is an AI tool. Not because it is used to train neural networks, but because the specialty of AI is a search in multidimensional spaces. People probably wouldn't agree, like they don't agree that Fundamental Theorem of Algebra is not of algebra (and not fundamental btw). But the disagreement is not about the deep meaning of the theorem or gradient descent, but about tradition and "we always did it this way".
JimDabell•53m ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_effect
viraptor•2h ago