AI as co-scientist: How generative AI is revolutionizing scientific discovery

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming scientific research by actively co-discovering alongside scientists, from predicting molecular behavior to rediscovering antibiotic resistance mechanisms, marking a shift from traditional trial-and-error methods.
• Developed by Monash University researchers, LLM4SD (Large Language Model 4 Scientific Discovery) is an open-source AI system that mimics scientific research steps—retrieving literature, analyzing data and generating hypotheses—while providing interpretable explanations, bridging the gap between AI predictions and actionable insights.
• Tested in 58 research tasks across fields like quantum mechanics and biophysics, LLM4SD outperformed state-of-the-art tools, improving accuracy by up to 48% in predicting quantum properties, showcasing its potential to accelerate discovery in resource-intensive fields.
• Tools like LLM4SD, Google’s AI co-scientist, and Microsoft’s MatterGen and Aurora are revolutionizing drug discovery, materials science and climate forecasting by generating hypotheses, predicting material behaviors and delivering accurate weather predictions in seconds, significantly reducing time and costs.
• While AI tools promise to amplify scientific progress, researchers emphasize the need for ethical development, transparency and accountability. AI is seen as a collaborative partner, enhancing human ingenuity rather than replacing it, to address humanity’s most pressing challenges.

In the annals of scientific progress, breakthroughs have often been the result of painstaking experimentation, serendipity or the slow accumulation of knowledge over decades. But a new era is dawning, one where artificial intelligence (AI) is not just assisting scientists—it’s actively co-discovering alongside them. From predicting molecular behavior to rediscovering antibiotic resistance mechanisms, generative AI tools are reshaping how we approach scientific inquiry.

The latest development comes from an Australian research team led by Monash University, which has unveiled a groundbreaking AI tool named LLM4SD (Large Language Model 4 Scientific Discovery). Published in Nature Machine Intelligence, this open-source system is designed to mimic the key steps of scientific research: retrieving information from literature, analyzing data and generating hypotheses. What sets LLM4SD apart is its ability to explain its reasoning, a feature that bridges the gap between AI’s “black box” predictions and actionable scientific insights.

“Just like ChatGPT writes essays or solves math problems, our LLM4SD tool reads decades of scientific literature and analyzes lab data to predict how molecules behave—answering questions like, ‘Can this drug cross the brain’s protective barrier?’ or ‘Will this compound dissolve in water?’,” said Yizhen Zheng, a PhD candidate at Monash University and lead co-author of the research.

A new era of AI-driven discovery

The LLM4SD tool was tested across 58 research tasks in fields as diverse as physiology, physical chemistry, biophysics and quantum mechanics. In one striking example, it outperformed state-of-the-art tools by boosting accuracy by up to 48% in predicting quantum properties critical for materials design. This leap in performance underscores the potential of generative AI to accelerate discovery in fields where traditional methods are time-consuming and resource-intensive.

“Rather than replacing traditional machine learning models, LLM4SD enhances them by synthesizing knowledge and generating interpretable explanations,” said Jiaxin Ju, a PhD candidate at Griffith University and co-author of the study.

This sentiment is echoed by Huan Yee Koh, another lead co-author, who emphasized the tool’s ability to make AI-driven predictions accessible and reliable across disciplines. “This approach ensures that AI-driven predictions remain reliable and accessible to researchers across different scientific disciplines,” Koh said.

From trial-and-error to AI-powered insights

Historically, scientific discovery has been a process of trial and error, often requiring years—or even decades—of experimentation. For example, the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming was a serendipitous accident, while the development of the COVID-19 vaccines relied on decades of prior research into mRNA technology.

Today, AI tools like LLM4SD and Google’s AI co-scientist are flipping the script. Google’s system, built on the Gemini 2.0 platform, recently rediscovered a key antibiotic resistance mechanism in days—a problem that took human researchers over a decade to solve. Similarly, Microsoft’s foundation models, such as MatterGen and Aurora, are enabling scientists to generate new materials and predict weather patterns with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

“AI is a tool in your arsenal that can support you,” said Bonnie Kruft, deputy director at Microsoft Research’s AI for Science lab. “We’re seeing this amazing opportunity to move beyond traditional human language-based large models into a new paradigm that employs mathematics and molecular simulations to create an even more powerful model for scientific discovery.”

The future of AI in science

The implications of these advancements are profound. In drug discovery, for instance, AI tools like LLM4SD could streamline the identification of promising compounds, reducing the time and cost of bringing new treatments to market. In materials science, Microsoft’s MatterGen is already generating novel materials with specific properties, while its companion tool, MatterSim, predicts how these materials will behave under different conditions.

“It gives materials scientists a way to come up with better hypotheses for the kinds of materials they want to design,” said Tian Xie, principal research manager at Microsoft Research.

Similarly, Aurora, Microsoft’s weather and pollution forecasting model, is revolutionizing climate science by delivering accurate predictions in seconds—a task that previously required hours of supercomputer processing. “The major difference that AI methods bring is computational efficiency and reducing the cost of obtaining those forecasts,” said Paris Perdikaris, principal research manager at Microsoft Research AI for Science.

Ethical considerations and the role of scientists

While the potential of AI in science is immense, researchers are quick to emphasize that these tools are meant to augment, not replace, human scientists. “We are already fully immersed in the age of generative AI, and we need to start harnessing this as much as possible to advance science, while ensuring we are developing it ethically,” said Geoff Webb, a professor at Monash University and co-author of the LLM4SD research.

This ethical dimension is particularly critical as AI systems become more integrated into the scientific process. Ensuring transparency, interpretability and accountability will be key to building trust in these tools.

A collaborative future

The advent of AI-powered scientific tools marks a turning point in how we approach discovery. By synthesizing vast amounts of data, generating testable hypotheses and providing interpretable insights, these systems are poised to accelerate progress across disciplines. Yet, as with any transformative technology, the challenge lies in harnessing its potential responsibly.

As Yizhen Zheng aptly put it, “This tool has the potential to make the drug discovery process easier, faster and more accurate and become a supercharged research support for scientists in every field all across the world.”

In the end, the true promise of AI in science lies not in replacing human ingenuity but in amplifying it—ushering in a new era of collaborative discovery that could solve some of humanity’s most pressing challenges.

Sources include:

Monash.edu

Maginative.com

Microsoft.com