Melo, Macmillan, Schmidt “AI is a powerful tool to solve difficult problems”

Melo, Macmillan, Schmidt “AI is a powerful tool to solve difficult problems”

There are mixed opinions on winning the AI Nobel Prize... “Korea can also win”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seunghan Cho = Nobel Prize-winning scholars have stated that while artificial intelligence (AI) will speed up scientific research and lead to new discoveries, the role of humans will not change.

David Macmillan, a professor at Princeton University and winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, had an interview at the 'Nobel Prize Dialogue 2026' event held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 20th.

◇ “AI, a powerful tool to solve difficult problems”… The role of the scientist remains the same

The Nobel Prize Dialogue is an event where domestic and foreign scholars, including Nobel Prize winners, meet and discuss with the public. This year, it was held under the theme of 'AI-changing future of science.'

Scholars unanimously agree that AI is a powerful tool that will solve humanity's difficult problems.

Brian Schmidt, a professor at the Australian National University and winner of the 2011 Physics Prize, said, "Problems such as data constraints in large-scale space telescopes can be solved with AI," and added, "It is true that we are also receiving help in astronomy to solve problems quickly."

Craig Mello, a professor at the University of Massachusetts and winner of the 2006 Prize in Physiology or Medicine, also said, “There are still many undiscovered mysteries in the world, and AI will bring them to the forefront.”

Professor Macmillan also said, “Chemistry is a field where it is possible to verify everything, but with the introduction of AI, verification has become faster and easier.”

Professor Schmidt said, "So far, science has continued to experience paradigm shifts, and AI may accelerate it, but these transformative discoveries will continue to come out with or without AI," and added, "As nothing is absolute, I hope that AI will appear and help in the process of solving problems."

◇ Will AI also receive the Nobel Prize? Opinions differ among the winners

However, they had mixed opinions on whether AI could receive the Nobel Prize even if it directly conducted research.

Professor Schmidt said, “Once AI can ask questions and execute them, a completely different era will open in the scientific world. However, the answer to the question of whether it can win the Nobel Prize is ‘no.’ The question of what the Nobel Prize is will come first.”

On the other hand, Professor Melo said, "If innovative discoveries are made, new drugs are developed, and humanity can be freed from suffering, it will be a victory for both humanity and AI." He added, "As the Nobel Prize exists to commemorate discoveries, I think humanity can share it."

Professor Macmillan said, “If a new drug is discovered, someone will come forward and say that I ordered AI to do it,” and added, “People don’t change.”

◇ “Korean scientist could win Nobel Prize”… “The scientific method” is the answer to the universe’s accelerated expansion debate.

They said that there are many cases of new research taking place in Korea and that they can expect to win a Nobel Prize.

Professor Macmillan said, "In the past, the idea of ​​making molecules using free radicals was scoffed at, but just 10 years after its development, it became a technique used by all pharmaceutical companies, and it was Korean scientists who brought about this paradigm shift," and said, "I think there is a possibility for a Korean scientist to win the Nobel Prize."

This can be interpreted as using Professor Emeritus Kim Seong-gak of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) as an example.

Professor Schmidt also said, “Korea is the country with the best established science policy framework, and Nobel Prize awards are likely to occur in the future.”

Meanwhile, Professor Schmidt recently responded to Professor Lee Young-wook of Yonsei University's assertion that there are errors in his Nobel Prize topic, 'accelerating expansion of the universe,' saying, "I think it's a natural way of science and it's a good thing that there are refutations."

Professor Schmidt said, "He refuted our team's research by claiming that explosions change quickly over time, and we refuted and refuted it again. This is how science works, and I think Professor Lee's analysis is inaccurate."