AI Insights

Machine Learning is Surprisingly Good at Simulating the Universe

Published

2 months ago

July 3, 2025

At the RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS) in Japan, the showdown between artificial intelligence and supercomputers has begun. It was here that Riken researchers, along with an international team of colleagues, used machine learning to enhance a simulation of galaxy evolution. The results were compared to direct numerical simulations, like those typically run on supercomputers, and AI won this round! In addition, this approach could shed light on the origins of the Milky Way and the elements essential to life as we know it.

The research was led by Keiya Hirashima, a Postdoctoral Researcher at iTHEMS and the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics. He was joined by colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), the Research Center for the Early Universe at the University of Tokyo, the Center for Planetary Science (CPS) at Kobe University, New York University, Princeton University, the Tohoku University of Community Service and Science, and the Japanese machine learning company Preferred Networks, Inc. (PFN).

The simulation tackled a key issue when it comes to galaxy formation, which is the role played by supernovae. Since opportunities to study these events are few and far between, scientists must rely on numerical simulations based on data gathered by telescopes and other observation methods. These simulations are remarkably complex since they must account for cosmological forces and possess high temporal resolution so major events are not missed. This includes supernovae, which evolve from core collapse to remnant in a few months to a few thousand years, orders of magnitude smaller than what typical simulations can achieve.

In ordinary numerical simulations, supernovae occur on timescales about 1000 times smaller than what supercomputers can achieve. Moreover, simulations capable of this level of temporal resolution take 1-2 years to complete and are restricted to relatively small galaxies. To overcome this bottleneck, the team incorporated AI into a simulation based on ASURA code, which combines N-body and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) methods to simulate galaxy formation. They also included the Framework for Developing Particle Simulator (FBPS) code to simulate chemical processes, and a machine learning (ML) model developed by Preferred Networks Inc.

This yielded what the team describes as the ASURA-FBPS-ML model, which allowed them to match the output of a previously modeled dwarf galaxy but got the result much more quickly. As Hirashima said in a RIKEN press release:

When we use our AI model, the simulation is about four times faster than a standard numerical simulation,” says Hirashima. “This corresponds to a reduction of several months to half a year’s worth of computation time. Critically, our AI-assisted simulation was able to reproduce the dynamics important for capturing galaxy evolution and matter cycles, including star formation and galaxy outflows.

To train their AI, the researchers fed it data from 300 simulations of an isolated supernova in a molecular cloud one million times the mass of our Sun. This produced a model capable of predicting the density, temperature, and 3D velocities of gas particles during the initial phase of supernova shell expansion, which typically lasts for 100,000 years after core collapse occurs. Compared to the kinds of direct numerical simulations performed by supercomputers, the new model yielded similar galactic structures and a star formation history within one quarter of the computing time.

This research illustrates the potential of incorporating AI into cosmological simulations, including models of how the entire Universe evolved since the Big Bang (ca. 14 billion years ago). “[O]ur AI-assisted framework will allow high-resolution star-by-star simulations of heavy galaxies, such as the Milky Way, with the goal of predicting the origin of the Solar System and the elements essential for the birth of life,” said Hirashima. Currently, the lab is using the ASURA-FBPS-ML model to run simulations of galaxies as large as the Milky Way, which could also lead to new theories about the origins of life in our galaxy.

The paper describing their findings appeared in The Astrophysical Journal.

Further Reading: RIKEN

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AI Insights

Job seekers, HR professionals grapple with use of artificial intelligence

Published

34 minutes ago

September 3, 2025

The Editors

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The conversation surrounding the use of generative artificial intelligence, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft CoPilot, Google Gemini, and others, is rapidly evolving and continuing to provoke questions of thought.

The debate comes as North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed into law an executive order geared toward artificial intelligence.

It’s a space that is transforming at a pace much quicker than many people can adapt to, and is finding its way more and more into everyday use.

One of those spaces is the job market.

“I’ll even share with my experience yesterday. So I had gotten a completely generative AI-written resume, and my first reaction was, ‘Oh, I don’t love this. ‘ And then my second reaction was, ‘but why?’ I’m going to want them doing this at work. So why wouldn’t I want them doing it in the application process?” said human resources executive Steve O’Brien.

O’Brien’s comments caught the attention of colleagues internally and externally.

“I think what we need to do is ask ourselves, how do we interview in a world where generative AI is involved. Not how do we exclude generative AI from the interview process,” added O’Brien.

According to the 2025 Job Seeker Nation Report by Employ, 69% of applicants say they use artificial intelligence to find or match their work history with relevant job listings. That is up by one percent compared to 2024. Alternatively, in 2025, Employ found that 52% of applicants write or review resumes using artificial intelligence, down from 58% in 2024.

“I think recruiters are getting very good at spotting this AI-generated content. Every resume sounds the same, every line sounds the same, and the resume is missing the stories that. I mean, humans love stories,” said resume and career coaching expert Mir Garvy.

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Meanwhile, career website Zety found that 58% of HR managers believe it’s ethical for candidates to use AI during their job search.

“Now those applicant tracking systems are AI-informed. But when all of us have access to tools like ChatGPT, in a sense, we have now a more level playing field,” Garvy said.

“If you had asked me six months ago, I’d have said that I was disappointed that generative AI had made the resume. But I don’t think that I have that opinion anymore,” said O’Brien. “So I don’t fault the candidates who are being asked to write 75 resumes and reply to 100 jobs before they get an interview for trying to figure out an efficient way to engage in that marketplace.”

The pair, along with job seekers, agree that AI is a tool that is best used to aid and assist, but not replace.

“(Artificial intelligence) should tell your story. It should highlight the things that are most important and downplay or eliminate the things that aren’t,” said Garvy.

O’Brien added, “If you completely outsource the creative process to ChatGPT, that’s probably not great, right? You are sort of erasing yourself from the equation. But if there’s something in there that you need help articulating, you need a different perspective on how to visualize, I have found it to be an extraordinary partner.”

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North Carolina Governor Creates AI Council, State Accelerator

Published

46 minutes ago

September 3, 2025

The Editors

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday signed an executive order (EO) creating the state’s Artificial Intelligence Leadership Council, tasked with advising on and supporting AI strategy, policy and training. The move comes just more than a year after the state published its AI responsible use framework.

Executive Order No. 24: Advancing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence That Benefits All North Carolinians sets the direction for the council and creates the North Carolina AI Accelerator, which will serve as a hub within the N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT). Council duties include creating a state AI road map; recommending AI policy, governance and ethics frameworks; guiding the accelerator; addressing workforce, economic and infrastructure impacts; and issuing recommendations for AI and public safety. Its first report is due June 30, 2026.

“AI has the potential to transform how we work and live, carrying with it both extraordinary opportunities and real risks,” Stein said in a news release. “Our state will be stronger if we are equipped to take on these challenges responsibly. I am looking forward to this council helping our state effectively deploy AI to enhance government operations, drive economic growth and improve North Carolinians’ lives.”

State CIO and NCDIT Secretary Teena Piccione will co-chair the council alongside state Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. The governor named 22 additional members from the public and private sectors. They include technology leaders, educators, state legislators and state agency representatives such as David Yokum, chief scientist of the Office of State Budget and Management. Vera Cubero, emerging technologies consultant for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, and Charlotte CIO Markell Storay are among the appointees, each of whom will serve a two-year term.

“I am honored to chair this council dedicated to strategically harnessing the exponential potential of AI for the benefit of North Carolina’s people, businesses and communities,” Piccione said in the release. “The AI Accelerator, along with our other initiatives, puts us in a strong position to implement swift and transformative solutions that will not only position North Carolina at the forefront of technological innovation but also uphold the latest standards of data privacy and security.”

The AI Accelerator will serve as the hub for AI governance, research, development and training. It is housed in the NCDIT, where staff will develop an AI governance framework, risk assessment and statewide definitions for AI and generative AI, according to the EO. When it comes to AI, Piccione sees significant potential for its use in government, identifying use cases in areas including procurement, fraud detection and cybersecurity, she told Government Technology earlier this year.

The state, like others, has been accelerating its AI moves of late. NCDIT named its first AI governance and policy executive this year, the University of North Carolina has been working with faculty to address AI in classroom settings, and some state agencies are looking at ways to safely implement chat and other services. North Carolina now joins other states that have appointed councils; are working toward ethical governance; and are wrestling with data centers, AI use and how it impacts energy use, also mentioned in the EO.

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5 concerns raised during House hearing on health AI

Published

1 hour ago

September 3, 2025

The Editors

The growing influence of artificial intelligence in health care was on display Wednesday as House lawmakers peppered invited witnesses with pointed questions about how technology might influence seemingly disparate topics like drug development, experimental Medicare models, and teen mental health.

The hearing description by the Energy and Commerce Committee’s health subcommittee promised a broad examination of the potential to advance American health care with AI, and members took the opportunity to dive into the topics closest to their interests. The questions over more than three hours revealed possible directions for policy as lawmakers consider whether — and how — to pass laws regulating AI’s use in health care.

Here are five concerns that came up.

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