How did AI-based research lead to two Nobel Prizes?

The session featured speeches by Dr. Ali Etemadi, Deputy Head of Research at the Medical Biotechnology Department of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Hossein Peyvadi, Researcher at the Pasargad Institute for Advanced Innovative Solutions (PIAIS).

At the beginning of the session, Dr. Hossein Razavi Haji Agha, Director of the Research Department of Khatam University, welcomed the speakers. He highlighted the significance of this year’s Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and Physics being awarded to researchers whose work was based on artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms. He described this as a turning point in demonstrating the impact of artificial intelligence and its numerous applications in people’s lives worldwide. Dr. Razavi also announced Khatam University’s readiness to host further scientific meetings and conferences to explore various aspects of this phenomenon.

The first speaker, Dr. Hossein Peyvadi, began his presentation by paying tribute to Professor Caro Lucas Ghukasian, the late professor at the University of Tehran, who is considered the father of Iranian robotics and passed away in 2010. Dr. Peyvadi then briefly reviewed the history of artificial intelligence, mentioning the role of Alan Turing, the English researcher, and his famous 1952 article in which he first claimed that computing machines could perform the same intellectual tasks as humans. Dr. Peyvadi noted that the term “artificial intelligence” was first mentioned in Turing’s article, and after more than 70 years since its publication, it is time to ask: Where has artificial intelligence reached now?

By showing several short films, the presentation aimed to depict the history of artificial intelligence over the past seven decades. It introduced Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield, two scientists who won the Nobel Prize in Physics this year for their research in artificial intelligence. The presenter provided examples of AI’s presence in daily human affairs and emphasized that significant advancements in computer hardware and software have greatly aided AI development.

The researcher from the Pasargad Institute for Advanced Innovative Solutions then posed the question, “Is it the end of the world now that we have artificial intelligence through a chatbot like ChatGPT?” He addressed this question by explaining that it is not the case. Instead, this development has led to the emergence of a new field called prompt engineering, with prompt engineers currently earning some of the highest salaries in the world. He noted that despite these advancements, providing an appropriate prompt is crucial to receiving the correct answer, and even then, it is possible not to get the desired response.

In the final part of his speech, Dr. Peyvandi discussed his research on algorithms that can significantly help solve the problem of blindness. He concluded by presenting a challenge to the audience on the topic of the “decision tree algorithm.”

Continuing the session, Dr. Ali Etemadi, Deputy Head of the Medical Biotechnology Department at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, delivered a speech on designing proteins with the help of artificial intelligence. He explained, “Proteins are the main components of the human body and are responsible for functions such as transmitting the sense of smell after inhaling odors. Proteins are composed of amino acids connected by bonds. The importance of amino acids lies in their ability to transform into a three-dimensional shape in less than a second upon entering the body, a process known as protein folding. This phenomenon led to the development of algorithms that earned David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year.”

Dr. Etemadi, who has collaborated on several scientific projects with David Baker, one of this year’s Nobel laureates in Chemistry, shared his experiences from this collaboration. He praised Baker’s scientific dedication and perseverance, noting, “Those who know Baker recognize that no obstacle can hinder his research. He has worked on protein design and structure prediction for about 35 years and developed the ‘Rosetta’ software package, which is now available to everyone.”

In the final part of his speech, Dr. Etemadi addressed whether any drugs designed and commercialized using proteins exist. He confirmed, “Yes, the drug developed to treat COVID-19 is of this type. It was approved in South Korea and yielded favorable results.”

According to the report, the specialized meeting “Artificial Intelligence, Nobel Prizes 2024: Perspectives and Approaches to Biotechnology” aimed to familiarize students and professors of Khatam University with the topic of artificial intelligence, its connection to the Nobel Prizes 2024, and its technical achievements in the coming years. The event was held in cooperation with the Rahyaft Institute.