No part of this article involves AI making independent discoveries.
My reading of this is the opposite.
Although there were competing hypothesis, nobody knew how insect wing hinge mechanisms worked. Now they do, and the fundamental insight was provided via AI.
I think this is both a fundamental discovery, and one we can attribute to the AI, more than the humans involved.
A lot of talk of AI tends to revolve around who is doing best in league tables and Silicon Valley chatter, meanwhile the truly significant is happening elsewhere. AI making independent breakthroughs like this has far greater long-term significance.
