Data Science in the News

Did you know we have a monthly newsletter? View past volumes and subscribe.

Measuring failure risk and resiliency in AI/ML models

Aug. 27, 2024 - 
The widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) reveals not only the technology’s potential but also its pitfalls, such as how likely these models are to be inaccurate. AI/ML models can fail in unexpected ways even when not under attack, and they can fail in scenarios differently from how humans perform. Knowing when and why failure occurs can prevent costly...

Measuring attack vulnerability in AI/ML models

Aug. 26, 2024 - 
LLNL is advancing the safety of AI/ML models in materials design, bioresilience, cyber security, stockpile surveillance, and many other areas. A key line of inquiry is model robustness, or how well it defends against adversarial attacks. A paper accepted to the renowned 2024 International Conference on Machine Learning explores this issue in detail. In “Adversarial Robustness Limits via...

International workshop focuses on AI for critical infrastructure

Aug. 12, 2024 - 
On August 4, LLNL researchers Felipe Leno da Silva and Ruben Glatt hosted the AI for Critical Infrastructure workshop at the 33rd International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) in Jeju, South Korea. Professors Wencong Su (University of Michigan – Dearborn) and Yi Wang (University of Hong Kong) joined them in organizing the workshop focused on exploring AI opportunities and...

Evaluating trust and safety of large language models

Aug. 8, 2024 - 
Accepted to the 2024 International Conference on Machine Learning, two Livermore papers examined trustworthiness—how a model uses data and makes decisions—of large language models, or LLMs. In “TrustLLM: Trustworthiness in Large Language Models,” Bhavya Kailkhura and collaborators from universities and research organizations around the world developed a comprehensive trustworthiness...

ISCP projects make machine learning advantages tangible

July 17, 2024 - 
Data science tools are not only rapidly taking hold across disciplines, they are constantly evolving. The applications, services, and techniques one cohort of scientists and engineers may have learned could be out of date by the next cohort, especially as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools become commonplace. To keep employees abreast of the latest tools, two data...

Department of Energy announces FASST initiative

July 16, 2024 - 
On July 16, the Department of Energy formally announced the proposed Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security and Technology (FASST) initiative via the web page www.energy.gov/fasst (with accompanying video and fact sheet). As stated on the web page, the speed and scale of the AI landscape are significant motivators for investing in strategic AI capabilities: “Without FASST...

AI, fusion, and national security with Brian Spears (VIDEO)

July 13, 2024 - 
This episode of the Eye on AI podcast delves into the cutting-edge world of AI and high-performance computing with Brian Spears, director of LLNL's AI Innovation Incubator. The episode is presented here as a video with the following description: "Brian shares his experience in driving AI into national security science and managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile. With a PhD in mechanical...

Signal and image science community comes together for annual workshop

June 26, 2024 - 
Nearly 150 members of the signal and image science community recently came together to discuss the latest advances in the field and connect with colleagues, friends, and potential collaborators at the 28th annual Center for Advanced Signal and Image Science (CASIS) workshop. The event featured more than 50 technical contributions across six workshop tracks and a parallel tutorials session...

The Laboratory’s habit of innovation

June 4, 2024 - 
LLNL’s HPC and data science capabilities play a significant role in international science research and innovation, and Lab researchers have won 10 R&D 100 Awards in the Software–Services category in the past decade. The latest issue of Science & Technology Review features several award-winning projects, including ZFP and CANDLE: (1) ZFP introduces a new method of compressing large data sets...

Statistical framework synchronizes medical study data

June 3, 2024 - 
The risks and benefits of heart surgery, chemotherapy, vaccination, and other medical treatments can change based on the time of day they are administered. These variations arise in part due to changes in gene expression levels throughout the 24-hour day-night cycle, with around 50% of genes displaying oscillatory behavior. To evaluate new therapies, investigators study how a gene’s...

FAA awards approval for drone swarm testing

May 29, 2024 - 
LLNL’s Autonomous Sensors team has received the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) first and—to date—only certificate of authorization allowing autonomous drone swarming exercises on the Lab main campus. These flights will test swarm controls and sensor payloads used in a variety of national security applications. Autonomous drone swarms differ from those used for entertainment...

Harnessing the power of AI for a safe and secure future (VIDEO)

May 13, 2024 - 
LLNL, alongside the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 17 national labs, is harnessing the transformative potential of AI for a safer, more secure future. In 2022, LLNL made history by achieving fusion ignition, marking a pivotal moment for national security and clean energy. While AI continues to unlock new insights into fusion, through the combination of cutting-edge computer modeling...

Welcome new DSI team members

April 2, 2024 - 
When Data Science Institute (DSI) director Brian Giera and deputy director Cindy Gonzales began planning activities for fiscal year 2024 and beyond, they immediately realized that LLNL’s growth in data science and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) research requires corresponding growth in the DSI’s efforts. “Our field is booming,” Giera states. “The Lab has a stake in the...

Machine learning tool fills in the blanks for satellite light curves

Feb. 13, 2024 - 
When viewed from Earth, objects in space are seen at a specific brightness, called apparent magnitude. Over time, ground-based telescopes can track a specific object’s change in brightness. This time-dependent magnitude variation is known as an object’s light curve, and can allow astronomers to infer the object’s size, shape, material, location, and more. Monitoring the light curve of...

Will it bend? Reinforcement learning optimizes metamaterials

Dec. 13, 2023 - 
Lawrence Livermore staff scientist Xiaoxing Xia collaborated with the Technical University of Denmark to integrate machine learning (ML) and 3D printing techniques. The effort naturally follows Xia’s PhD work in materials science at the California Institute of Technology, where he investigated electrochemically reconfigurable structures. In a paper published in the Journal of Materials...

For better CT images, new deep learning tool helps fill in the blanks

Nov. 17, 2023 - 
At a hospital, an airport, or even an assembly line, computed tomography (CT) allows us to investigate the otherwise inaccessible interiors of objects without laying a finger on them. To perform CT, x-rays first shine through an object, interacting with the different materials and structures inside. Then, the x-rays emerge on the other side, casting a projection of their interactions onto a...

Lab partners with new Space Force Lab

Nov. 14, 2023 - 
LLNL subject matter experts have been selected by the U.S. Space Force to help stand up its newest Tools, Applications, and Processing (TAP) laboratory dedicated to advancing military space domain awareness (SDA). The Livermore team attended the October 26 kickoff in Colorado Springs of the SDA TAP lab’s Project Apollo technology accelerator, designed with an open framework to support and...

LLNL’s Kailkhura elevated to IEEE senior member

Nov. 8, 2023 - 
IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization, has elevated LLNL research staff member Bhavya Kailkhura to the grade of senior member within the organization. IEEE has more than 427,000 members in more than 190 countries, including engineers, scientists and allied professionals in the electrical and computer sciences, engineering and related disciplines. Just 10% of IEEE’s...

LLNL, University of California partner for AI-driven additive manufacturing research

Sept. 27, 2023 - 
Grace Gu, a faculty member in mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the LLNL Early Career UC Faculty Initiative. The initiative is a joint endeavor between LLNL’s Strategic Deterrence Principal Directorate and UC national laboratories at the University of California Office of the President, seeking to foster long-term academic partnerships and...

Explainable artificial intelligence can enhance scientific workflows

July 25, 2023 - 
As ML and AI tools become more widespread, a team of researchers in LLNL’s Computing and Physical and Life Sciences directorates are trying to provide a reasonable starting place for scientists who want to apply ML/AI, but don’t have the appropriate background. The team’s work grew out of a Laboratory Directed Research and Development project on feedstock materials optimization, which led to...