Google makes AI collaboration breakthrough for scientists

Google has created an AI feature to assist biomedical scientists. 

The tech giant confirmed the update on Wednesday (Feb 19.) as its DeepMind AI unit continues to pursue science as a priority. 

Google’s AI tool acts as a virtual collaborator for human scientists, delivered after tests were conducted by researchers at Stanford University in the United States and Imperial College London. 

The creation deploys advanced reasoning to work through vast amounts of literature to produce novel hypotheses. 

Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis was a co-recipient of a Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year, awarded for tech developed within his unit. Together with John Jumper, he used AI to predict the structure of almost all known proteins.

Google’s new AI ‘co-scientist’ is made up of various interconnected models that rapidly work through the available input data and internet resources to provide a considered output. 

Within the system, different AI agents work with and against each other to create a “self-improving” loop, as we have seen in new reasoning models such as Gemini Flash Thinking and OpenAI o3.

As advanced as the system is, it remains a generative AI product so it relies on the volume and veracity of the information within reach. It will not contribute new or unknown ideas, but it can scour through existing data to make new suggestions. 

At this stage, it is a powerful tool to assist human scientists, in creating research proposals and hypotheses, with a chatbot interface allowing for a conversation with the robot on the findings.

Today we introduce an AI co-scientist system, designed to go beyond deep research tools to aid scientists in generating novel hypotheses & research strategies. Learn more, including how to join the Trusted Tester Program, at https://t.co/1eqmTTZOLr pic.twitter.com/RetLM5Tr8f

— Google AI (@GoogleAI) February 19, 2025

Google has presented the AI tool as a breakthrough, with scope for further development.

“While this is a preliminary finding requiring further validation, it suggests a promising avenue for capable AI systems…to augment and accelerate the work of expert scientists,” said the company.

The scientists who worked on the project said it would complement rather than replace researchers. 

Google scientist Vivek Natarajan added the project would enhance the work of researchers, rather than replace them.

“We expect that it will… increase, rather than decrease scientific collaboration,” he said.

Image credit: Via Grok/X

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