Raghavan (Google), 'AI can achieve otherwise unattainable results'

Can Artificial Intelligence add value to scientific research? This was the question at the heart of the seminar "Can AI assist in Mathematics and Computer Science research?" held today in the Aula Magna of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa. The special guest was Prabhakar Raghavan, Google's chief technologist and one of the most authoritative figures in the field of algorithmic research, web search, and, indeed, Artificial Intelligence.

Prabhakar Raghavan, explains a statement from the School, discussed the role of AI in supporting creativity and scientific discovery with Rector Nicola Vitiello and Professor Paolo Ferragina. Raghavan's presentation illustrated results obtained using AlphaEvolve, a system developed by Google DeepMind.

AlphaEvolve, it was noted, contributed to the identification of new discoveries in mathematics and computer science, "results that—according to Raghavan—would have been difficult to achieve through traditional approaches." The seminar thus offered concrete food for thought on possible models of collaboration between artificial intelligence and human intelligence in scientific research, a topic of widespread and pressing relevance worldwide. Raghavan's presentation is part of the broader international debate on the role of AI technologies in the production of new knowledge.

Prabhakar Raghavan has a career spanning over 30 years in academia and industry, and prior to his current role at Google, he held senior roles at Yahoo! Labs, Verity, and IBM Research.