There is great potential for the application and uptake of AI methodologies to revolutionise many more areas of science, both physical and biological.  Some areas of science, have already started to realise some of those benefits - in particular through the use machine learning to 'power up' commonly used bio- and chem informatics pipelines.   However, there still remains a large role for the applied AI and scientific communities to play to ensure that the best of class algorithms match up with the impactful scientific problems of our time.  Within this theme we feel that some particularly relavent areas for papers would include:

There is a large apetite in this area for the application of bleeding edge methods to further push the boundaries of the possible, and we would strongly encourage papers which are the result of the collaboration of domain specialists and those whose major expertise is in the development of AI methodologies.

As we have stated throughout this editorial, a key metric of success is uptake beyond the initial method development.  We therefore encourage labs, both academic and industrial, to submit papers demonstrating the real world improvements which have been garnered through the application of AI to their mission-critical problems. 

Applied AI Letters is launched with a commitment to openness in the scientific and publishing process. Where possible and where appropriate, we want to give authors the ability to share their research as widely and as transparently as possible.

To that end, Applied AI Letters will be an open access journal, giving free and immediate access to critical research to all who want to read it. This greatly increases the reach and impact of the journal and ensures that our authors are able to share their work with the widest possible audience. Without the need to pay for a license, we are hopeful that our readership will include many in the industrial world who are often locked out of current research. We particularly envision those working in the diverse world of AI start-ups, who have often lacked a venue to prove their technology in a scientific manner, and to distinguish themselves from the unfortunate amount 'vapour ware' which infects this market.

Our commitment to openness extends beyond open access publishing of articles. We know that it will not be possible for all our authors to share their data. However, we do ask that authors publish a data availability statement with their paper to indicate whether the data associated with their article is freely available online. 

A core offering of Applied AI Letters is the integrated preprint server. At the point of submission, authors are asked whether they would like to simultaneously upload their manuscript to the Applied AI Letters preprint collection. In doing so, authors are able to gain all the benefits of preprinting including a DOI and, in the event of acceptance, linking with the final published article.

The interpretation and implementation of openness in research is sure to change over time. As we begin our journey, we are constantly looking for the best ways to meet the needs of our authors and readers. We welcome feedback and ideas: we want to hear from our community. We do not seek to enforce a philosophy but rather to engage in an ongoing conversation.

Aligned with a future-looking mindset on openness, we also commit to offering authors a peer review and publication experience defined by ease and speed. As indicated by the title, the journal will publish primarily short-format letters. This decision was made to decrease the burden on authors, reviewers and readers. At every stage of the process, from writing to reviewing, revising, proofing and even reading, we hope that the shorter format will engender a more rapid turnaround.  As we have previously stated, a core element of Applied AI Letters is its preprint server, which allows visibility at the point of submission, and a DOI which will track with the manuscript through the whole publication journey - improving your ability to track and metric your articles.

There is a great deal of value and impact to the application of AI technologies in a range of areas.  We want Applied AI Letters to be the place you send examples of such impactful work across a wide range of areas, a place where the community meet to discuss and collaborate, and a place where we communicate the breakthoughs which enable the deployment of AI in the 'real world'.  If your work fits in this area, or you have a challenge for the community - we want to hear from you!