2023年经济学人 人工智能彻底改变科学(1)

 

    Debate about artificial intelligence (AI) tends to focus on its potential dangers: algorithmic bias¹ and discrimination, the mass destruction of jobs and even, some say, the extinction² of humanity.

    关于人工智能(AI)的争论往往集中在它的潜在危险上:算法偏见和歧视，就业机会的大规模破坏，甚至有人说，人类的灭绝。

    As some observers fret³ about these dystopian scenarios⁴, however, others are focusing on the potential rewards.

    然而，当一些观察人士对这些反乌托邦的设想感到担忧时，另一些人则专注于潜在的回报。

    AI could, they claim, help humanity solve some of its biggest and thorniest⁵ problems.

    他们声称，人工智能可以帮助人类解决一些最大、最棘手的问题。

    And, they say, AI will do this in a very specific way: by radically⁶ accelerating the pace of scientific discovery, especially in areas such as medicine, climate science and green technology.

    而且，他们说，人工智能将以一种非常具体的方式做到这一点:从根本上加快科学发现的步伐，特别是在医学、气候科学和绿色技术等领域。

    Luminaries⁷ in the field such as Demis Hassabis and Yann LeCun believe that AI can turbocharge scientific progress and lead to a golden age of discovery.

    杰米斯·哈萨比斯和扬·勒昆等领域杰出人士认为，人工智能可以加速科学进步，引领一个科学发现的黄金时代。

    Could they be right?

    他们是对的吗?

    Such claims are worth examining, and may provide a useful counterbalance to fears about large-scale unemployment and killer⁸ robots.

    这样的说法值得研究，或许可以有效地抵消对大规模失业和机器杀手的担忧。

    Many previous technologies have, of course, been falsely hailed as panaceas⁹.

    当然，以前的许多技术都被错误地誉为灵丹妙药。

    The electric telegraph was lauded¹⁰ in the 1850s as a herald¹¹ of world peace, as were aircraft in the 1900s;19世纪50年代，电报被誉为世界和平的先驱，20世纪初，飞机也是如此;pundits in the 1990s said the internet would reduce inequality and eradicate¹² nationalism.

    上世纪90年代的权威人士说，互联网将减少不平等，根除民族主义。

    But the mechanism¹³ by which AI will supposedly solve the world’s problems has a stronger historical basis,但人工智能解决世界问题的机制有更强大的历史基础，because there have been several periods in history when new approaches and new tools did indeed help bring about bursts of world-changing scientific discovery and innovation.

    因为在历史上有几个时期，新方法和新工具确实有助于带来改变世界的科学发现和创新。

    In the 17th century microscopes and telescopes opened up new vistas¹⁴ of discovery and encouraged researchers to favour their own observations over the received wisdom of antiquity¹⁵, while the introduction of scientific journals gave them new ways to share and publicise their findings.

    在17世纪，显微镜和望远镜开辟了发现的新视野，鼓励研究人员更倾向于相信自己的观察，而不是前人公认的智慧，而科学期刊的引入为他们提供了分享和公布发现的新途径。

    The result was rapid progress in astronomy, physics and other fields, and new inventions from the pendulum¹⁶ clock to the steam engine—the prime mover of the Industrial Revolution.

    其结果是天文学、物理学和其他领域的迅速发展，以及从摆钟到蒸汽机——工业革命的原动力——的新发明。

1 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

2 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

3 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

4 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 thorniest   

adj.多刺的( thorny的最高级 )；有刺的；棘手的；多障碍的

参考例句：

• Paradoxically, the thorniest outstanding issue involves Bolivia. 而荒谬可笑的是，最棘手的国家要事却牵涉到了玻利维亚。 来自互联网

6 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

7 luminaries   

n.杰出人物，名人（luminary的复数形式）

参考例句：

• In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. 亚14:6那日、必没有光．三光必退缩。 来自互联网
• Includes household filament light bulbs & luminaries. 包括家用的白炙灯泡和光源。 来自互联网

8 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

9 panaceas   

n.治百病的药，万灵药( panacea的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Are there no panaceas that would enable them to co-exist peacefully? 有没有让它们和平共处的办法？ 来自互联网

10 lauded   

v.称赞，赞美( laud的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They lauded the former president as a hero. 他们颂扬前总统为英雄。 来自辞典例句
• The nervy feats of the mountaineers were lauded. 登山者有勇气的壮举受到赞美。 来自辞典例句

11 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

12 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

13 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

14 vistas   

长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景

参考例句：

• This new job could open up whole new vistas for her. 这项新工作可能给她开辟全新的前景。
• The picture is small but It'shows broad vistas. 画幅虽然不大，所表现的天地却十分广阔。

15 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

16 pendulum   

n.摆，钟摆

参考例句：

• The pendulum swung slowly to and fro.钟摆在慢慢地来回摆动。
• He accidentally found that the desk clock did not swing its pendulum.他无意中发现座钟不摇摆了。