this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2024
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Scientists at Princeton University have developed an AI model that can predict and prevent plasma instabilities, a major hurdle in achieving practical fusion energy.

Key points:

  • Problem: Plasma escaping containment in donut-shaped tokamak reactors disrupts fusion reactions and damages equipment.
  • Solution: AI model predicts instabilities 300 milliseconds before they happen, allowing for adjustments to keep plasma contained.
  • Significance: This is the first time AI has been used to proactively prevent tearing instabilities in fusion experiments.
  • Future: Researchers hope to refine the model for other reactors and optimize fusion reactions.
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[–] [email protected] 40 points 8 months ago (10 children)

I've lost track, is AI a good thing today or a bad thing?

[–] [email protected] 55 points 8 months ago (3 children)

AI is just the name that journalists use for all algorithms these days.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Although it's been used for a fairly wide array of algorithms for decades. Everything from alpha-beta tree search to k-nearest-neighbors to decision forests to neural nets are considered AI.

Edit: The paper is called

Avoiding fusion plasma tearing instability with deep reinforcement learning

Reinforcement learning and deep neural nets are buzzwordy these days, but neural nets have been an AI thing for decades and decades.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

For real. I've started to replace "AI" with "program" or "software" in my head every time I read a headline.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

So are you saying this is an algorithm?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Just a big pile of if statements.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

"ifs are a code smell"

[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

And AI is a buzzword that englobes a variety statistical tools. Articles write AI to evoke generative tools in people minds, but very specialized tools are at work here.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago

AI is a very broad term, ranging from physical AI (material and properties of a robotic grabbing tool) to AI (as seen in many games, or in a robotic arm to calculate path from current position to target position) and to MLAI (LLM, neural nets in general, KNN, etc.).

I guess it's much the same as asking "are vehicles bad?". I don't know, are we talking horse carriages? Cars? Planes? Electric scooters? Skateboards?

Going back to your question, AI in general is not bad, though LLMs have become too popular too quick and have thus ended up being misunderstood and misused. So you can indeed say that LLMs are bad, at least when not used for their intended purposes.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Its a tool, it can be used for both. Just like any other tool, a hammer for example. Excellent killing weapon, but also great for driving nails.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

A scalpel can be used to cut or to heal, depending on the skill and intentions of the wielder.

Learned that from Stanislov Grof. He was talking about LSD.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Two nice examples

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago

AI is just the tool. Its not good or bad by itself.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago

AI is most likely here to stay, so if you have it do "good" things effectively, then's it's a good boi. If it is ineffective or you have it do "bad" things, then it's a bad boy.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago

Its neither good nor bad. Its a powertool (for now) its as good as the people who are behind it. Both in ethics and expertise credentials.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Skynet assures you it's a good thing. Matrix disagrees because it points out that Skynet is closed source and no one knows what it's really doing.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

The funny thing is that "AI" (aka machine learning) even when open source nobody knows what it is doing and why.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Good thing, because one day our robot overlords will read this and I want to be on record having said that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Yesn't. Maybeer?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (1 children)

“Together with a form of fusion, the machines had all the energy they would ever need”

Or something close to that.