Hosted by Dr. Sarthak Chandra, CALIBRE Faculty, ICTS-TIFR
INTRODUCTION
Prof. Vijay Balasubramanian visited the Centre for Artificial Learning and Intelligence for Biological Research and Education (CALIBRE) at ICTS-TIFR as the Asha Gupta Chair Professor. CALIBRE focuses on advancing research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, physics, and biological systems, with an emphasis on understanding learning, inference, and complex information processing across domains.
Prof. Balasubramanian’s work spans quantum gravity, black holes, and quantum information, where deep questions about spacetime and entanglement intersect with ideas from information theory, statistical inference, and machine learning. He also explores how principles of learning and inference appear in biological and neural systems, aligning his perspective with CALIBRE’s goals.
During his visit to ICTS, he has been engaging with researchers across fields, reflecting CALIBRE’s aim of building connections between AI, physics, and complex systems.
ABOUT THIS INTERVIEW
In this conversation with Dr. Sarthak Chandra, Prof. Balasubramanian reflects on what it means to build good models of biological systems: why constraints matter as much as objectives, why the question “what is the system for?” is central to biology in a way it isn’t in physics, and how the brain’s extraordinary efficiency (running complex computation at 20 watts on mangoes) should inspire the next generation of AI architectures.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Prof. Balasubramanian traces his intellectual journey from early work in machine learning and speech recognition at MIT’s AI lab, through string theory and synthetic biology, to his current research at the intersection of neuroscience, biological physics, and artificial intelligence.
The conversation ranges across emergence and its deep puzzles, the tension between physicists’ love of elegant minimal models and biology’s irreducible complexity, and the promise of neuromorphic computing as a path toward AI systems that are far less resource-hungry than today’s. Prof. Balasubramanian also speaks candidly about the institutional barriers to truly interdisciplinary science, and why centres like CALIBRE matter in reshaping how knowledge is organised in the 21st century.
Throughout, he returns to a question that has motivated him since his undergraduate days: why are such simple conceptual tools sufficient to describe phenomena as different as quantum gravity, neural circuits, and the emergence of language in machines?
INTERVIEW
TRANSCRIPT
Please refer to the link for the full transcript of this conversation
CLOSING NOTE
Prof. Balasubramanian’s visit to CALIBRE, ICTS highlights the growing convergence of artificial intelligence, physics, and biological complexity. His work connects quantum gravity and information theory with broader ideas of inference, learning, and adaptive systems, reflecting the interdisciplinary spirit that CALIBRE seeks to promote.
We thank him for sharing his insights during his visit and look forward to continued dialogue at ICTS across these emerging frontiers.