AI cannot automate science – a philosopher explains the uniquely human aspects of doing research
AI cannot automate science – a philosopher explains the uniquely human aspects of doing research
Publish Date: 2026-01-20 08:37:00
Source Domain: theconversation.com
- The federal government signed an executive order in 2025 to build and train AI agents to enhance scientific research and accelerate breakthroughs through AI-assisted workflows.
- AI systems, such as AlphaFold, can process and analyze data more efficiently than humans but rely on existing human-generated knowledge and insights to function effectively.
- AI models rely on human scientists to identify the datasets and scientific concepts they need to learn from, thus the breakthroughs derived from AI remain tied to human scientific knowledge and progress.
- Science is inherently a human enterprise based on collaboration, creativity, and the social process of knowledge creation, which cannot be fully replicated by AI systems.
- While AI tools can support and accelerate parts of the scientific process, fully replacing human scientists or attempting to automate the entire scientific method may dilute the essence of scientific inquiry.
