AI and automation are speeding up science and chemistry by helping scientists pick which experiments to conduct and home in on promising new materials. Why it matters: There's pressure on these fields to produce new materials faster and cheaper to support and power technologies that could transform industries and economies. The big picture: New materials and molecules are needed for the batteries, drugs and semiconductors envisioned to underpin a green grid, precise medicine, and the next generation of computing and communications. What's happening: It can take decades to get a new material to market in a process that involves an almost "artisanal science," Isayev says. Zoom in: In a new study, researchers combined machine learning, theories and calculations of physical properties and experiments to identify new alloys.