you can figure out how to do AI in such a way that once you can do one science, you have the machinery in hand to do all the other sciences
And indeed, I would be extremely surprised if we find a way to do AI that only lets you build general-purpose par-human astrophysics AI, but doesn’t also let you build general-purpose par-human biochemistry AI.
(There may be an AI technique like that in principle, but I expect it to be a very weird technique you’d have to steer toward on purpose; general techniques are a much easier way to build science AI. So I don’t think that the first general-purpose astrophysics AI system we build will be like that, in the worlds where we build general-purpose astrophysics AI systems.)
And indeed, I would be extremely surprised if we find a way to do AI that only lets you build general-purpose par-human astrophysics AI, but doesn’t also let you build general-purpose par-human biochemistry AI.
(There may be an AI technique like that in principle, but I expect it to be a very weird technique you’d have to steer toward on purpose; general techniques are a much easier way to build science AI. So I don’t think that the first general-purpose astrophysics AI system we build will be like that, in the worlds where we build general-purpose astrophysics AI systems.)