Science - The Batch | DeepLearning.AI (Page 2)

Tanmay Gupta is pictured smiling next to a whiteboard filled with mathematical formulas, embodying active AI engagement.

Machine Learning Research

From Prediction to Action by Tanmay Gupta: Tanmay Gupta of the Allen Institute on building AI for long-horizon tasks

AI research in 2026 should confront a simple but transformative realization: Models that predict are not the same as systems that act. The latter is what we actually need.

Adji Bousso Dieng is pictured typing on a laptop in a warmly lit room, focusing on AI-driven scientific work.

Machine Learning Research

AI for Scientific Discovery by Adji Bousso Dieng: Adji Bousso Dieng, Princeton University Assistant Professor and AI Researcher, on optimizing models for the long tail

In 2026, I hope AI will transition from being a tool for efficiency to a catalyst for scientific discovery.

Snowman in Thinker pose on snowy landscape, with a person building it.

Machine Learning Research

Thinking Models Solve Bigger Problems: Reasoning models, beginning with OpenAI’s o1 and DeepSeek’s R1, transformed the industry

Think step by step. Explain your reasoning. Work backwards from the answer. As 2025 began, models executed these reasoning strategies only when prompted. Now most new large language models do it as a matter of course, improving performance across a wide range of tasks.

Diagram shows LLM training with encoders for images, audio, video; inference with galaxies, satellites.

Machine Learning Research

Adapting LLMs to Any Sort of Data: SEMI (Sample-Efficient Modality Integration) tackles new domains with few-shot examples

Enabling a pretrained large language model to process a data type other than text (say, images), possibly in a specialized domain (say, radiology), typically requires thousands to millions of examples that pair the other data (perhaps x-rays) with text.

The eagle grips a microchip and a scroll, representing AI's role in scientific advancement as per US directives.

Science

White House Orders AI for Science: Genesis Mission would share U.S. data and resources with top AI companies

President Trump launched a United States effort to use AI to speed up scientific breakthroughs.

Image illustrates data flow from raw satellite sources through processing to embeddings for climate tracking.

Machine Learning Research

Earth Modeled in 10-Meter Squares: Google’s AlphaEarth Foundations tracks the whole planet’s climate, land use, potential for disasters, in detail and at scale

Researchers built a model that integrates satellite imagery and other sensor readings across the entire surface of the Earth to reveal patterns of climate, land use, and other features.

Electron microscope image of bacteriophages with distinct hexagonal heads and tails on a gray background.

Machine Learning Research

AI Generates Viral Genomes: Researchers use genomic language models to create custom viruses

Researchers used AI models to create novel viruses from scratch.

Google study chart comparing energy use of AI accelerators for Gemini, including chip power, CPU, and idle machines.

Science

Gemini’s Environmental Impact Measured: Google study directly measures electricity, water use, and greenhouse emissions of its models

Google determined that its large language models have a smaller environmental footprint than previous estimates had led it to expect.

Researcher adjusts sensors on a quadruped robot disguised as a Tibetan antelope in a high-altitude reserve.

Robotics

Robot Antelope Joins Herd: Chinese scientists disguise modified robot dog as antelope to study herd behavior

Researchers in China disguised a quadruped robot as a Tibetan antelope to help study the animals close-up.

Infographic showing Mistral Large 2’s environmental impact across emissions, water, and material use.

Science

Mistral Measures LLM Consumption of Energy, Water, and Materials: French AI startup discloses full lifecycle consumption and emissions for Mistral Large 2

The French AI company Mistral measured the environmental impacts of its flagship large language model.

A fully autonomous surgical robot clips and cuts a bile duct in an ex-vivo gallbladder removal experiment using the da Vinci system, guided by AI.

Machine Learning Research

Robot Surgeon Cuts and Clips: Doctors at Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and Optosurgical operate on animal organs without human intervention

An autonomous robot performed intricate surgical operations without human intervention.

Electric substation representing the energy use and carbon emissions linked to running large AI language models.

Science

Reasoning Boosts Carbon Emissions: Researchers confirm reasoning models that generate more tokens have a bigger environmental footprint

In the era of reasoning models, delivering better answers to questions has an environmental cost. A new study quantifies the impact.