Science and Engineering Capacity Development Unit – författare

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) plays a key role in accelerating economic growth and developing innovative solutions to pressing challenges facing the African continent. Over the past few decades, much work has been done to develop university systems in African countries in recognition of the role that high-caliber teaching and research in STEM fields play in economic development. African universities and theirgovernments have made many of these gains through partnering across countries and sectors. Often, however, these efforts are based on individual connections and do not lead to long-termchange. Inspired by STEM''s potential to tackle African and global challenges, a group of academic leaders has come together to explore a synergistic approach to transform African institutions of higher education and increase the global engagement of U.S. institutions. They developed an initial vision for a next-generation Africa-U.S. STEM initiative that would take place for at least 10 years, with funds of at least $10 million annually from governments, the private sector, philanthropies, and other organizations. To obtain input from stakeholders on how such an initiative could develop, the group held a virtual workshop March 14-16, 2022, convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions of the workshop.

Over the past century, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved from computational theory to everyday conversational technologies, capturing the attention and interest of the public and the media. It has also caught the attention of the scientific community, where it has provided a new tool to support inquiry and exploration. While AI in the context of scientific investigation has existed for decades, advances in computational technology and sensing in the physical world have created opportunities to integrate AI into science in unexpected ways, with capabilities that are rapidly accelerating. As a result, AI has been leveraged by an expanding collection of disciplines in the physical and biological sciences, as well as engineering domains. While the opportunities for AI in scientific discovery seem endless, there are numerous questions about what makes for trustworthy and reliable discovery, whether such investigation should be performed without human oversight or intervention, and how best to prioritize the research agenda and allocation of resources without magnifying disparities for individuals and nations alike.

In recognition of the timeliness and sizable implications of AI in our world, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted AI for Scientific Discovery - A Workshop on October 12-23, 2023. Leaders from across the globe in the field of AI, preeminent researchers in various science and engineering disciplines, and experts in ethics, law, and social sciences met to appraise the state of the field and provide guidance on the opportunities, as well as the challenges, that lay ahead. Presentations and discussion explored the future of AI in terms of its role as an autonomous researcher carrying out discovery and considered ethical aspects of AI used for independent scientific discovery.