Nobel Laureate Dr. Thomas J. Sargent Delivers Special Lecture on AI at Korea University’s Next Intelligence Forum
On Wednesday, May 29, Dr. Thomas J. Sargent, the 2011 Nobel Laureate in Economics, delivered a special lecture titled “The Sources of Artificial Intelligence” at the 6th Next Intelligence Forum (NIF) held in the international remote conference room of Centennial Memorial Samsung Hall at Korea University.
The NIF is an academic event that invites Nobel Laureates and other distinguished figures to deliver special lectures in celebration of the 120th anniversary of Korea University in 2025. This event also commemorated the 70th anniversary of the College of Political Science & Economics and the 120th anniversary of the Department of Economics at Korea University.
Over 250 attendees, including President Kim Dong-one, Dean Koo Kyo-jun of the College of Political Science & Economics, faculty members, students, and interested members of the public attended the event.
Before the lecture, President Kim Dong-one delivered a welcoming address, expressing his hope that “through Dr. Sargent’s lecture, we can better understand the era of artificial intelligence, and gain the wisdom and insights necessary to prepare for the society of the future.”
In his lecture, Dr. Sargent mentioned fields such as biology, statistics, economics, and physics as the academic foundations of artificial intelligence. He explained the development of artificial intelligence through the research methods of scientific revolutionaries like Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Darwin.
Dr. Sargent emphasized that cognitive scientists have discovered that humans, through thousands of years of evolution, still find certain subjects cognitively challenging to understand. Paradoxically, scientists have used tools derived from these cognitively challenging subjects to advance artificial intelligence. He argued that the interplay between artificial intelligence and the cognitive limitations inherent in humans could suggest ways to improve higher education.
A graduate student from the Department of Economics who attended the lecture remarked, “It was a very interesting lecture. I was able to gain inspiration for writing my papers and learn about the attitude and passion required to be a researcher.”
The event concluded with a Q&A session and a commemorative photo session, but the attendees continued asking questions as they moved to their next venue, with Dr. Sargent responding earnestly throughout.
Dr. Sargent, the 2011 Nobel Laureate in Economics, is renowned for his research based on the rational expectations hypothesis, which is considered revolutionary in macroeconomics. In his work he analyzes the effects of government and central bank policies by constructing economic models based on the hypothesis that humans make rational predictions and decisions regarding economic changes. He has also studied the impact and economic significance of “bounded rationality” and “uncertainty” on human decision-making. Dr. Sargent, who has long explored the economic implications of human cognitive abilities and their limitations, is particularly interested in the impact of artificial intelligence on the lives of people with limited cognitive abilities.