As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionise industries from banking to content creation, it has also begun to influence scientific research, raising the question: Could AI one day win a Nobel Prize? While this may seem far-fetched today, a recent report by AFP highlights how researchers and scientists are working to develop AI systems potentially worthy of such recognition in the future.

The challenge to create an AI Nobel laureate

In 2021, Japanese scientist Hiroaki Kitano proposed the 'Nobel Turing Challenge', urging researchers to create an AI capable of winning a Nobel Prize by 2050. Although it's an ambitious goal, some progress is already visible. 

In 2009, a team led by Ross King, a professor of machine intelligence at Chalmers University in Sweden, introduced 'Robot Scientist Adam'—the first machine to make scientific discoveries on its own. Adam was designed to generate hypotheses, conduct experiments, and analyze the results, all without human intervention. Adam's discoveries, although modest, were significant, including identifying unknown functions of genes in yeast. A follow-up AI, 'Eve', has focused on drug research, particularly for malaria.

Despite these advancements, AI systems today aren't Nobel-ready. According to King, while robot scientists can work tirelessly and record every detail, they lack the intelligence to grasp the broader significance of their findings, a key requirement for high-level scientific breakthroughs.

AI's influence on scientific research

One of AI's most notable achievements in science so far is AlphaFold, an AI model developed by Google DeepMind, which predicts the 3D structures of proteins with incredible accuracy—something humans couldn't achieve alone. This tool is revolutionising biology, aiding research into diseases and drug development. 

Yet, as Inga Strumke, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, points out, AlphaFold is better at solving problems than explaining them. AI can provide answers but struggles to offer scientific insight, which is crucial for Nobel-worthy work, suggests the AFP report.

AI's path to the Nobel Prize

While AI isn't close to winning a Nobel on its own, it's likely to assist in future prize-winning discoveries. Experts like David Pendlebury, who tracks Nobel trends, predict AI will soon play a key role in Nobel-recognised research. Google DeepMind's work with AlphaFold, for instance, has already earned its creators prestigious awards, and they're among the top contenders for a Nobel Prize in the near future.

AI is not yet capable of the deep understanding required to win a Nobel Prize independently, but it's already changing the way science is conducted, states the AFP report. As AI becomes more advanced, it will undoubtedly contribute to significant breakthroughs, potentially bringing it closer to Nobel recognition within the next decade.