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DOE OSTI · 3013674

Exocortex Network for AI-Augmented Human-Led Scientific Expedition

Tsai, Esther H. R. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000258856317)·Yager, Kevin G. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000177452513)
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Abstract

AI advances in science can be viewed along two main directions with a fluid boundary: enhancing efficiency through automation and smart tools to accelerate tasks that humans can already perform; and enabling exploration into uncharted territories and potentially toward AGI. These advances manifest in the AI cognitive core through the development and explainability of foundation models; in the physical embodiment of instruments and facilities; and in the integrated agency of AI workflows exemplified by the science exocortex. To address the role of humans in this evolving landscape, in this Perspective, we suggest a third direction: the development of personalized agents that form human-centered networks, supporting both efficiency and exploration while ensuring that AI remains aligned with human vision.

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97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTINGBenchmarkingComputational chemistryMaterialsSynchrotron radiationartificial intelligencebenchmarkingcomputational chemistryexocortexfoundation modelshuman-computer interactionmachine-learningmaterialssynchrotron radiation

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BibTeXRIS

Tsai, Esther H. R. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000258856317), Yager, Kevin G. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000177452513). 2025-10-22. Exocortex Network for AI-Augmented Human-Led Scientific Expedition. https://doi.org/10.1021/photonsci.5c00009

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