The hosts Kevin and Andrew discuss whether bioinformaticians will be replaced by AI and robots. They note how AI is already being used to generate synthetic voices, images, and video of people, threatening industries like voice acting and extras. Bioinformatics is a complex field requiring creative problem-solving, so full automation seems far off. AI will likely play an assistive role to bioinformaticians. AI may reduce the number of bioinformaticians needed due to increased productivity, but demand for the skillset is very high.The role of bioinformaticians will evolve as tasks become more automated, requiring adaptation to new technologies. Ethical issues around plagiarism, copyright, and data integrity need to be considered with AI generation of content. Education will need to adapt by teaching modern methods, though institutional change is often slow. New practitioners born into an AI-enabled world may have very different skills and workflows than existing bioinformaticians. The hosts are optimistic AI will augment human capabilities rather than outright replace bioinformatics roles. More focus can be put on creativity. In summary, the hosts believe bioinformaticians will not be fully replaced by AI but need to evolve their skills as automation increases productivity. Ethical challenges remain around proper AI usage.

Ep3 Will we be replaced by AI robots?

A quick update from Andrew from the Global Microbial Identifier conference in Vancouver, Canada.

Ep3 Will we be replaced by AI robots?

The Bioinformatics Lab

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