Deepmind has given us Alphafold, saving 1 billion years of research on protein structures, also reducing drug discovery from 2 to 5 years in $3 billion deals with Eli Lilly and Novartis.
AlphaGeometry
This new breakthrough, using huge amounts of synthetic data (that’s key) is very different.
AlphaGeometry is an Olympiad-level AI system for geometry. It is close to being the best Geometrician that exists. So let’s recalibrate the whole AI and maths thing. Don’t be misled into thinking that AI can only do words and not maths. It can do maths better than almost all humans on the planet and will soon exceed all.
Knowledge of the world
Another line of inquiry here is getting AI to have a world view, or at least part of a world view. It is true that large language models do not have sophisticated world-views, especially of the dimensionality, time and logic of the real word. But, in giving it this capability, it had a window onto that real world.
Geometry deals with the properties, measurements, and relationships of entities in the world; points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids. Fundamentally, it's about the shape and size of different things and the properties of space. When it can deal with all things in physical space it has the fundamentals of the real world. This pushes us towards AI that knows about the real world, can solve problems about the real world and construct new worlds.
Geometry in the professions
There are plenty of real jobs that use geometry from engineering to art.
At macro and micro levels, Astronomers and Physicists use geometry to understand the positions and movements of celestial bodies and to describe physical phenomena in the universe.
Engineers use geometry for designing buildings, bridges, and other structures, ensuring they structurally sound. Architects use it to design things that are functional and also aesthetically pleasing within the constraints of engineered geometry. Surveyors and urban planners measure land and calculating areas and volumes, critical for construction and mapmaking.
On a practical level, carpenters and craftsmen often use geometry for designing and constructing furniture, buildings, and decorative items, ensuring correct proportions and angles.
Even in more creative tasks, graphic Designers and Animators apply geometric principles to create visually appealing and proportionate designs and animations. Geometry is essential within fields like computer graphics, virtual reality, and game development, where they use geometry to create realistic simulations and interfaces. Interior Designers use geometry in space planning, furniture arrangement, and creating harmony and balance in living spaces.
Many artists use geometry in their work, whether for creating balanced and symmetrical pieces or for exploring abstract geometric forms.
In other words, geometry matters and once it can be done more efficiently, accurately and quicker by AI – it helps all of those professions to do their jobs faster and better.
Conclusion
People are writing off Google but they have a jewel in their crown – Deepmind. They have been slow to market but when they come, they may come with something very different, something that is smart in a different sort of way – high end smart. Demis Hassabis has said from the start that he’s on the road to AGI – he’s giving us some pretty good examples of the progress he’s making.
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