China’s reliance on imports for the most sophisticated scientific instruments could hold back the country’s use of AI in science, according to a leading Chinese researcher.
Advanced equipment such as mass spectrometers was essential for generating the high-quality experimental data needed to develop, validate and improve advanced scientific models, Weinan E, a professor at Peking University’s mathematical sciences school, said at the “AI for Science” conference in Shanghai last week.
“Without domestically developed precision instruments, it becomes difficult to obtain first-hand, high-quality experimental data, leaving AI ‘like cooking without rice’,” E said, according to Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper last week.
E, who is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed the concept of “AI for Science” in 2018 as a new approach to research.
Scientists use artificial intelligence tools to improve scientific research, in areas ranging from improving computational modelling to experimental design.
And to get the best data, researchers need the best equipment.