Arun Kumar A V

Arun Kumar A V is driven to help solve humanity’s biggest threats. How is his PhD research doing just that? He says it’s about thinking up ways for AI and humans to effectively collaborate.

We sat down with Arun to talk about his PhD journey.

Why did you choose to study a PhD at Deakin?

I chose to study a PhD at Deakin University because it’s one of the most renowned universities in Australia for artificial intelligence (AI).

Deakin’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute (A²I²) is home to state-of-the-art technologies, including powerful AI computing clusters, sophisticated simulation infrastructure and a well-equipped robotics lab.

My mentors are also internationally leading computer scientists, who are pioneers in AI.

What is your PhD research project about?

My PhD research investigates ways to conceptualise AI-human partnerships in the quest for new discoveries in science and engineering applications.

Why is your research important?

AI has been perceived as a powerful tool to replace humans. However, I believe there’s true potential for human experts to collaborate with AI to solve humanity’s biggest existential threats.

Just think: what if you could collaborate with AI systems on a work problem to make the planet better? That’s just what my research hopes to do on a larger scale.

My research aims at supplementing the speed, scalability, and quantitative abilities of AI systems with the reasoning and abstraction abilities of human experts and making the collaboration exceptionally capable.

For example, a material scientist could collaborate with powerful AI systems to accelerate the discovery of novel materials, or a pharmaceutical scientist could work with AI systems to hasten the discovery of new drugs and vaccines.

AI-human collaborations improve the decision-making ability and thus are beneficial in better addressing threats such as climate change, global pandemics, and more.

My main research challenge was to design an interface that allows back-and-forth communication between an AI system and human experts. It included building mathematical models to elicit useful knowledge, understand the intent and form a collaborative relationship.

How will your research help make an impact on society?

My research work aims to advance AI-human systems to hasten the discoveries of novel products and design processes. Such rapid discoveries significantly contribute to combating the challenges facing humanity, such as climate change, the risk of another pandemic and more.

For example, electric vehicles have decarbonised the automotive industry by switching to sustainable eco-friendly green energy. The problem is the batteries that power these vehicles still could be improved.

My AI research will support the discovery of next-generation, light-weight high-capacity batteries for electric vehicles. This could enhance the range of electric vehicles on offer and ensure the decarbonisation of the automotive industry. I’m proud to say my research could play a role in fighting climate change.

What are your future career ambitions? How will your PhD help you realise these?

My post-graduate studies unearthed the humongous scope AI has to create a better society.

In the future, I hope to continue to build AI-human collaborative systems that would help us address global emergencies more efficiently. I’m excited to bridge the critical and interesting research gaps with the knowledge gained during my PhD.

The world-class research training I received at A²I² boosted my confidence levels and strengthened my knowledge. At Deakin, I am supported to become an active AI researcher capable of solving stimulating research problems.

Re-imagine your career, connect with industry and make your impact alongside world-leading researchers in one of Australia’s leading research communities.