AI is not what you think it is
Or maybe it is, but it certainly isn’t what I thought it was, a year or so ago. There’s been a lot of attention lately on tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, systems that generate text, answer questions, and increasingly have found their way into academic life. These are examples of what are termed large language models (LLMs), and the term AI in everyday use is usually referring to these LLMs. But as I have come to realise, they represent just one branch of ‘artificial intelligence'. AI has long played a quieter role to help researchers make sense of the vast and complex datasets produced by advanced imaging techniques, environmental modelling, and material analysis. Since joining Durham in April this year , and working to develop applications of XR-CT (X-ray computed tomography) for heritage science , I’ve become increasingly aware of just how crucial AI is for making sense of this kind of data. XR-CT lets us look inside objects such as pottery, bones, sediments, without breaking t...