No, AI agents did not discover a previously unknown Maya site

AI Summary

A Google researcher’s claim that AI agents uncovered an unmapped Maya site in Mexico was challenged after the location was found to have been documented in an academic journal the previous year. The episode highlights concerns about AI-assisted research, including the risk of misinterpreting findings and overlooking the knowledge of local communities and specialists.

“I woke up and checked the agents' reports. 'DAMN!' They had found lots of villages and other regular shapes that looked like structures or houses,“ Pietro Miotti wrote on his blog. | Image: Pietro Miotti Armed with a team of AI agents, Google researcher Pietro Miotti claimed earlier this week to have discovered a potentially unmapped Maya site in Mexico. There was just one problem: The site had already been discovered and was published in an academic journal last year. The incident, which sparked criticism among archeologists online, underscores a growing tension in science as amateurs wielding increasingly powerful AI tools parachute into specialist fields, often without the expertise needed to understand what they are looking at. Local communities are often already well aware of sites in their area. Miotti said the idea to use AI to sea … Read the full story at The Verge.