In different parts of the world, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a tool for researchers in other science and technology fields, forging collaborations across disciplines. Fabio Cozman, a Brazilian researcher at the University of São Paulo, talks about how his AI research team is helping to break down barriers between disciplines.
"At the Center for Artificial Intelligence, University of São Paulo, our main goal is to produce machine-intelligence research that has a direct impact on society and industry. One of our five core programmes, for example, examines the influence of climate change, biodiversity and mineral resources on Brazil’s Atlantic coastline and the people who live there. A common problem we face is that some researchers coming from other areas just want a programmer. In my opinion, they need to be more willing to share their knowledge and problems, rather than just adopting a ‘come and help me do programming’ approach. My question for researchers who are hoping to collaborate with AI specialists is: are you hoping to have someone who’s ‘good at computers’ help you to do some data analysis, or do you actually need to ask much deeper questions, which AI might be able to help you answer?"
Jack Leeming. Internet: <nature.com> (adapted).
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