Google/MIT Report: AI Speeds Up Scientific Ideas but Not Lab Experiments
AlexTensor · x · 2026-09-19
A new report from Google, Google DeepMind and MIT FutureTech quantifies how AI is changing the economics of science across fields.
Key takeaways:
- In mathematics, AI is already producing proofs and solving open problems, even sparking scooping accusations from academics.
- In experimental fields like biology, chemistry and drug discovery, the promised acceleration hasn't materialized — AI generates more research ideas than labs can realistically test.
- Despite government hype (including a recent NSF memo calling AI a research priority), the gap between computational and wet-lab progress remains wide.
Daron Acemoglu shared the report via Scientific American's write-up, emphasizing the difficulties of actually applying AI in science.
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