AI’s writing ability has gotten all the attention in campus discussions. But AI’s ability to see is just as big a deal. In my series on vibe coding, for example, I noted that AI’s killer feature is its ability to see what’s on your screen (via a screenshot or direct browser access through something like Google Antigravity) and give you step-by-step instructions on what to do next. Likewise, Gemini’s new ability to see what’s happening in a handwritten archival document and accurately transcribe it is a game changer for historical research.
But this new ability to see archives isn’t just something of note to humanists. It may turn out to be even more important for the sciences.