The Transformation of a Science by a “Technology”: The Case of Astrophysics and the Introduction of Machine Learning

This article explores the transformations of an area of scientific research provoked by the introduction of big data and the possibilities to treat them by Artificial Intelligence. We study these transformations in contemporary astrophysics as it has developed over the last thirty years. These transformations extend from cognitive work procedures to information processing, systems of collaboration between scientists, epistemology and terrain of questions.