Every year, the scientific magazine “Nature” presents the 10 main researchers of the year. This time, for the first time, someone who is not human is found there: the AI-supported ChatGPT chatbot. “ChatGPT has dominated the news this year and its influence is being felt across science – and society,” said Richard Monastersky, editor-in-chief of Nature.
Since there are ten people listed next to him, he is actually in the top 11 this year. The decision was made to include ChatGPT “to honor the profound way in which generative artificial intelligence is changing the development and progress of science,” Monastersky said. An article in “Nature” said of ChatGPT: “He co-authored scientific papers – sometimes secretly. He fabricated drafts for presentations, grant and course proposals, created computer code, and served as a sounding board for research ideas. “
At the same time, however, ChatGPT also invented references and facts and spewed hate speech. “But most of all, he stimulated people’s imagination.” It was also said that it was not yet clear what possibilities would result from ChatGPT-type systems in the future. “But the generative AI revolution has already begun. And there is no turning back.”
Other important milestones
Nature also highlighted that several researchers on the list were part of teams, meaning they achieved important milestones together with others. Among the experts shaping the science of 2023 is peer reviewer Kalpana Kalahasti, deputy project manager for the Indian Space Agency's “Chandrayaan-3” mission. The probe was India's first successful landing on the Moon in August. Physicist Annie Kritcher, senior designer at the US National Ignition Facility, was also taken into consideration. In early December 2022, it was possible, for the first time, to obtain more energy from nuclear fusion than was put directly into it via a laser.
Developmental biologist Katsuhiko Hayashi's team from Japan's Osaka University has managed to produce mouse pups for the first time from cells from two male mice. For mice with two biological fathers, skin cells from the male animals were converted into eggs that were fertilized with sperm from other males.
As a pioneer of artificial intelligence, Ilya Sutskever, chief scientist at the company OpenAI, was included in the “Nature” list. He played a central role in the development of ChatGPT and the language models on which the chatbot is based.
For the first time, two women who don't do their own research are in the top 10
The list also includes doctor Halidou Tinto, who led clinical trials in Burkina Faso for the approval of a malaria vaccine, London oncology researcher Thomas Powles, whose team has made progress in treating certain types of cancer, and biochemist Svetlana Mojsov, who played a crucial role in the discovery of the hormone GLP-1, which is the basis of new anti-obesity drugs.
“Nature” also took into account a researcher who helped uncover errors in a seemingly surprising result: physicist James Hamlin, from the University of Florida, who pointed out inconsistencies in a study on room-temperature superconductivity presented in early 2023. The study has already been removed.
Two women who do not do research were also included in the top 10: Brazil's Environment Minister, Marina Silva, for measures against deforestation in the Amazon region, and Eleni Myrivili, who at the United Nations supports countries in preparing for the destructive effects of the climate. to change.