Artificial intelligence (AI) was once a software that worked according to instructions given by humans. Later, it learned to write, create pictures, make videos, compose songs, and even write computer programs. Now the question has arisen—will AI one day be able to discover new technologies on its own? That is, is it possible for AI to research like humans and invent new devices, new medicines, or new scientific ideas? This question is currently the biggest discussion in the technology world.
Inventing a new technology is not just about memorizing information. It requires observation, analysis, experimentation, learning from failures, and the ability to create completely new ideas. Traditional computers could not do these things. But modern AI can analyze vast amounts of data and find relationships that may escape the human eye. It can analyze billions of research papers, test results, and scientific data in a matter of hours and provide directions for possible new solutions.
AI’s contribution to scientific research is already visible. AI is working as an assistant to researchers in many areas, such as predicting protein structures, identifying potential components for new drugs, finding new types of battery materials, developing improved solar cell designs, and inventing new algorithms. Where previously a study would have taken years, AI is speeding up the pace of research by analyzing thousands of possible options in a matter of days.
Technology experts are now working on the concepts of AI for Science and AI Scientist. The goal is to create an AI that will not only analyze data, but also generate research questions, plan experiments, evaluate results, and suggest next steps. In some experimental settings, AI has already shown significant skills in drafting research papers, analyzing data, and designing experiments.
But here’s an important point. AI is not yet curious on its own, does not gain real-world experience like humans, and cannot set up a laboratory and conduct experiments on its own. It works based on the information and goals it receives. That is, in the current reality, AI can be a skilled research assistant; but not a completely independent scientist.
Another major challenge is reliability. AI can sometimes reach wrong conclusions based on incorrect data. The cost of such mistakes in research can be huge. So scientists believe that no matter how advanced AI becomes, human verification, testing, and ethical evaluation will remain essential for important scientific discoveries.
The question of ethics is also important here. If AI creates a breakthrough technology or drug design in the future, who will take credit for that discovery—the organization that created the AI, the researcher, or the AI? At the same time, international policies and oversight will be needed to ensure that such technology is not used for harmful purposes.
This technology can be important for Bangladesh as well. AI can play a major role in researching new crop varieties in agriculture, identifying diseases, analyzing the impact of climate change, increasing industrial production, and speeding up research in the educational sector. If opportunities for AI-based research are created in universities, research institutions, and the technology sector, domestic innovation can also gain new momentum.
All in all, AI is not alone in discovering new technologies right now, but it is moving quickly in that direction. It is not a substitute for humans; rather, it is a wonderful tool to strengthen human intelligence. In the future, a breakthrough technology may be created by a scientist and his most skilled research assistant—an artificial intelligence. Then, in the history of technology, the names of humans and AI may be written together in the story of new discoveries.
