AI Funding Boom Squeezes Basic Research
ziv_ravid · x · 2026-07-14
Following a chat with a computational neuroscientist friend, the author argues that academic funding in non-CS fields is dire: grants are dwindling, and researchers are fighting over a shrinking pool of money.
Meanwhile, AI funding is at an all-time high. Many companies claim they will cure diseases, creating a stark contrast:
- Frontier lab researchers can easily raise millions for biological or brain foundation models
- Actual researchers doing basic biology or brain science struggle to secure lab funding
The post ultimately questions: is the AI capital boom reshaping resource allocation in basic science and further marginalizing traditional disciplines?
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