Some Recent Human-Computer Discoveries in Science and What Accounts for Them

Raul E. Valdes-Perez


My collaborators and I have recently reported in domain science journals several human-computer discoveries in biology, chemistry, and physics. One might ask what accounts for these findings, for example, whether they share a common pattern. My conclusion is that each finding involves a new representation of the scientific task: The problem spaces searched were unlike previous task problem spaces. Such new representations need not be wholly new to the history of science; rather, they can draw on useful representational pieces from elsewhere in natural or computer science. This account contrasts with earlier explanations of machine discovery based on the expert system view. My analysis also suggests a broader potential role for (AI) computer scientists in the practice of natural science.

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