A picture of the scientific explosives community before artificial intelligence takes over everything

Abstract. If one thinks that artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest discovery, one may be in for a surprise. Application of AI in the field of explosives, understood as the use of neural network, is an idea over 30 years old. Just view a report from DTIC dated 1992, i.e. ADA250658. On the other hand, the beginning of the commercial use of neural networks goes back about 60 years. The key factor affecting the significant changes we observe today is AI achieving such a high level of development that this technology can be used everywhere and by everybody. Moreover, AI ceases to be a simple tool in human hands and becomes a human manager. Unfortunately, as was suggested last year at NTREM2023, each of the researchers had to face the problem of insufficient competency (too little knowledge and few co-workers) when confronted with the possibilities of AI. Examples of the above mentioned issues are presented in this work. The main issue addressed in this paper is to determine the potential of scientists, researchers and students dealing with explosives, to overcome contemporary challenges of conducting scientific work, no worse than that of AI. Most attention was paid to the surveys received from NTREM2023 participants and obtained through them from other researchers.