Google Australia and CSIRO Deepen Collaboration to Boost AI in Australian Science
Today Google Australia and CSIRO are announcing an expanded collaboration aimed at accelerating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in science and research in Australia. Building on our successful partnership under the Digital Future Initiative, we will now focus on scaling the positive impact of AI across diverse scientific disciplines and enabling more Australian scientists to solve problems with AI. We aim to empower scientists to catalyse research methods, unlock new discoveries, and ultimately address critical challenges facing Australia and the world.
A Proven Track Record of AI-Powered Innovation
Since the inception of our partnership in late 2021, Google and CSIRO have demonstrated the transformative power of bringing together both Google and CSIRO's technical AI expertise and deep scientific knowledge to tackle key Australian challenges. This has led to projects with the potential for global impact, already making a positive difference in Australia, such as:
- Using technology to automatically detect invasive species: Several efforts have demonstrated the potential for AI algorithms to help identify and track the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef. Work is now being done to operationalise these learnings to enable more effective conservation efforts.
- Mapping carbon-capturing seagrass meadows: AI is being used to map vast underwater meadows of seagrass, crucial for understanding their role in mitigating climate change.
- Analysing genetic resilience and restoring giant kelp forests: Through genomic analysis powered by AI, we hope to gain insights into the genetic factors that make some Giant Kelp resilient to rising ocean temperatures to help with regrowing the crucial ecosystem.
- Advancing protein research: CSIRO has harnessed the power of AlphaFold, Google DeepMind's AI program for protein structure prediction, to understand crop diseases and explore new industrial fabrics.
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The CSIRO and Google team reviewing underwater imagery showing detection of crown-of-thorn-starfish by the AI model.
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Mapping tools are helping to define the role of different seagrass types, including mixed communities shown here in Lau Group in Fiji.
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After being harvested, Giant Kelp enters CSIRO and IMAS labs in Hobart where it is studied and grown to ultimately restore the forests off the coast of Tasmania.
Expanding the Frontiers of AI in Science
Building on this success, our new collaboration will focus on three key objectives:
- Equipping researchers with the latest tools: Google is investing in and collaborating closely with CSIRO. This initiative aims to develop advanced AI platforms and tools that will empower Australian scientists to tackle complex research questions with unprecedented efficiency and accuracy. We also want to make sure that local researchers know how to make full use of existing Google tools – like Kaggle, one of the world's largest data science communities or Google Earth Engine, a planetary scale earth science analysis platform.
- Inspiring Australia's interest in AI: We are committed to fostering a national dialogue about AI's potential in scientific discovery. Through events, workshops, and outreach programs, we aim to inspire researchers, policymakers, and the public alike, showcasing how AI can help in fields ranging from healthcare to environmental conservation.
- Developing a strong AI research community: We will invest in developing and nurturing a vibrant community of Australian scientists who are actively embracing AI in their work. This will facilitate knowledge sharing, accelerate learning, and establish best practices for AI integration across diverse scientific disciplines.
New Resources for Researchers
In addition to this collaboration, Google Australia is launching a new community of practice specifically for Australian scientists with an interest in leveraging Google's AI tools. This group will provide a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
For nearly twenty years, Google has been helping developers learn and connect through its "Google for Developers" program. As the scientific community increasingly adopts AI and other technologies in their work, they have many of the same interests and needs as developers but generally don’t think of themselves as developers. This new community for Australian research scientists is built on the Google Developer Group platform, but is run by organisers from the research community and will be tailored to the needs of that community.
“As AI continues to revolutionise scientific research, staying abreast of the latest advancements is crucial yet challenging for researchers. Google's commitment to fostering a community of practice where researchers can learn, collaborate, and exchange ideas on AI in science is both timely and invaluable. I am excited to be part of this initiative and look forward to the innovations it will inspire,” said Dr Susan Wei, Lecturer, School of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Melbourne, who will be among the founding group of organisers for Google's new community of practice.
Join Us on this Journey
Google and our partners will also be hosting a series of events and webinars to inform and inspire the Australian science community. These sessions will be open to researchers, students, and anyone interested in the transformative power of AI in science. To find out more, sign up to the community group.
We invite you to join us on this exciting journey in Australian science, as we unlock how AI can help accelerate scientific discovery and drive positive impact for Australia and the world.
