Roland Jakab: AI does not replace researchers – it accelerates scientific breakthroughs

The Portfolio AI & Digital Transformation 2025 conference attracted considerable professional interest, where Roland Jakab, CEO of the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN), shared his insights with the audience in a panel discussion alongside Krisztián Kurtisz, CEO of UNIQA Insurance; Bence Horváth, Director of Commercial Strategy at Magyar Telekom; and Tamás Giller, Deputy CEO of Neo Property Services. Approaching the topic from a scientific perspective, Roland Jakab provided an overview of where we stand in the digital and AI innovation race and where we need to get to. He stated that the use of artificial intelligence at HUN-REN is no longer merely a tool, but an almost mandatory element. He recalled the launch of the AI 4 Impact programme, which aims to ensure that artificial intelligence has an effect on all research and innovation processes.

AI 4 Impact: Artificial Intelligence at All Levels of the Research Network

The programme is built on four pillars, as explained by Roland Jakab. Under the AI 4 Science framework, new models are continuously monitored, analysed, and tested for their capabilities. This is supported by the AI Ambassador Network: researchers assist their colleagues in applying the technology through workshops. AI 4 Innovation supports value creation in innovation, demonstrating in which industry and for which stakeholders a hypothesis might create value. This facilitates the initiation of research with potential economic impact. AI 4 Efficiency helps institutional operations, including HR and financial processes. The fourth pillar, AI 1 Science, aims to redefine the research process, examining the opportunities that new AI frameworks create for science. Roland Jakab specifically highlighted that Hungary’s new supercomputer will be built at the HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics.

AI Does Not Replace Researchers

“AI has a serious and direct impact on scientific research. It does not replace researchers; rather, it increases capacity and can accelerate certain scientific breakthroughs, which in turn means tangible economic benefits,” he said about the relationship between AI and science. As an example, he mentioned that AI can speed up the processing of scientific literature by as much as 30 per cent: it is enough to provide a few core papers, and the right tool will map thousands of related studies, connecting even hidden interdisciplinary threads. Another advantage is that certain experiments can be simulated or modelled in high-quality computing environments.

AI Connects Researchers and Creates New Synergies

According to Roland Jakab, AI expands the possibilities for collaboration between scientific fields and creates new synergies among researchers. The network structure of HUN-REN provides a solid foundation for this. That is why they are also working on an AI-based solution that will help researchers discover interrelated research ideas and identify the most promising scientific collaborations. In his view, the resources allocated to AI development at HUN-REN will increase exponentially in the coming years.

Agent Systems: When Thousands of Virtual Researchers Work Together

Roland Jakab believes we are still at the very beginning of what agentic AI can enable. The next major area of development is the introduction of agent-based systems. The core idea is that in a well-designed system, thousands of virtual agents equipped with PhD-level knowledge can work simultaneously on a given research problem, while research goals continue to be defined by human researchers. This solution is aimed at accelerating scientific research across the entire chain of hypothesis formation, validation, and research processes. HUN-REN is working jointly with OpenAI on the development of this system, and the plan is to open up this capacity to economic actors as well at a later stage.

Education as a Key Factor

Roland Jakab believes that Hungary can truly leverage the economic impacts of AI only if education plays a central role. Incentive programmes are required to support individual users, companies, and the national innovation ecosystem.

He emphasised that HUN-REN is taking a leading role in this – noting that Hungarian researchers and developers are gaining valuable experience through the use of the supercomputer operating in Jülich, which can later be applied to the operation of the Hungarian supercomputer as well.

He also emphasised the importance of education in relation to labour market processes. New types of jobs and roles are emerging, and those who do not use artificial intelligence will be at a disadvantage, he said. He added that alongside education, regulation is also important; developing such regulation will be the task of the newly established Hungarian Artificial Intelligence Council, set to begin its work in early December.