'AI Should Be Merely A Tool For Research By Humans,' Says Nobel Laureate Klau Klitzing

India: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is conservative and should be merely a tool for research conducted by humans, said German Nobel Laureate Klaus Klitzing at a public lecture organised at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai.

Klitzing Won 1985 Nobel for Quantum Hall Effect Discovery

Klitzing won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1985 for his discovery of Quantum Hall Effect (QHE), which is considered to be one of the greatest discoveries in the field of physics. The breakthrough demonstrated that electrical resistance in two-dimensional conductors occurs in precise, discrete steps. The discovery enabled scientists to realise the ohm (the standard unit of electrical resistance) with unprecedented precision and played a major role in the redefinition of the International System of Units (SI) in 2019.

The Director Emeritus of Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Germany’s Stuttgart, Klitzing, delivered a public lecture at TIFR’s Dr. Homi Bhabha Auditorium in Colaba on Monday. The lecture was organised jointly by Lodha Foundation and TIFR to precede the launch of Lodha Theoretical Physics Institute to support quality research in the field of physics and the launch of the 10th edition of the international workshop on Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Hall Systems.

AI Had No Chance of Finding Quantum Hall Effect, Says Klitzing

Klitzing called himself an advocate for basic research conducted by humans and said, “AI is conservative as it extrapolates what is already known. In my case, AI had no chance of finding the Quantum Hall Effect. AI accelerates computing and it should be used only as a tool for the research carried out by humans.”

The Nobel laureate described his journey of discovering the Quantum Hall Effect in 1980 as an accidental finding, which ultimately revolutionised the International System of Units, redefining the base units from seven to four unchangeable constants of nature. He also recalled that he was associated with India’s National Physics Laboratory even before publishing his discovery and was later recognised as an honorary fellow of the Metrology Society of India.

Quantum Metrology United All Countries, He Recalls

“It was an emotional moment for me when quantum metrology united all the countries. Representatives from all the countries voted in favour of redefining the International System of Units. Quantum science and technology is a fantastic field for basic research and international cooperation,” he added.

The public lecture also saw attendance of renowned physicists like Bertrand Halperin of Harvard University and Shankar Das Sarma from University of Maryland. Researchers, scholars and young students from across the country participated in huge numbers to listen to the physicists and gratify their curiosity.

Halperin Advises Students to Keep Curiosity Alive, Not Chase Nobels

“Physics is not a sport where you can beat everyone else and win the medal. The aim should not be to win the Nobel prize but to keep the curiosity alive and continue gaining new knowledge,” Halperin said, while answering to a young student.

Lodha Foundation’s chief mentor Ashish Kumar Singh said, “Some discoveries are valuable because they solve an immediate problem while others are valued because they believe once that reality is more subtle and more astonishing than what we have meant. The Quantum Hall Effect belongs to the second effect. It takes curiosity, precision and patience to take seriously what nature was revealing to an experiment. This is the true spirit of fundamental science.”