Online Publication "Volzhskaya Pravda": Scientists from Volzhsky Created Russia's Largest Polymer Database with AI

15.04.2026

Scientists from Volzhsky have created Russia's largest formulation database of polymers, equipping it with artificial intelligence modules. Such a large-scale materials science database has practically no analogues in the world. It includes more than 6,000 elastomer formulations. Our journalists visited the Volzhsky Polytechnic Institute and, together with the project leader, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Viktor Kablov, discussed the use of AI capabilities in modern life.

Only a Human Can Write "War and Peace"

— Viktor Fedorovich, what is the significance of your new developments?

— Much is being said today about the technological sovereignty of the Russian Federation. And we are working in this direction. Together with colleagues from Novosibirsk University, we have created the largest materials science database in Russia. And this database continues to grow. Artificial intelligence helps us with this.

In general, this project involves several tasks. First and foremost, we are creating digital tools for developing polymer materials and predicting their properties. The second direction involves training neural networks capable of generating millions of chemical formulas.

Such "smart" analysis makes it possible to accelerate the process of creating new elastomeric materials. Several years ago, these developments would have taken a lot of time. Now it happens 4–6 times faster. For our laboratory, we have purchased new equipment and computers that are 20 times more powerful than ordinary ones. They work around the clock, processing data.

— Do you think that in the future, artificial intelligence can replace humans in production, in daily life, and even in culture?

— I spoke at the Mendeleev Congress on General and Applied Chemistry. There was a question there: can AI write "War and Peace"? No, it cannot, because it is artificial intelligence. Not every human can do that, let alone AI. But it can help with certain things. One of its properties is to augment our capabilities. For example, those who master neural networks are more valuable professionally.

But neural networks will never replace humans. I even propose a term: "collaborative intelligence" — AI + human.

Neural Networks Make You Strain Your Brain

— In a TV commercial, a father asks a neural network: "What is a bisector?" This suggests that it's not necessary to store knowledge in your head. Won't the use of AI capabilities have a negative impact on the intellect of future humans?

— For those who constantly use neural networks, the feeling is this: I don't become dumber; on the contrary, by working with such an intelligent assistant, I strain even more. After all, to get the right answer, you need to ask the question correctly and accurately. This requires high-level thinking skills. But if you use it to cheat on something, like a diploma or an article, then yes, that is a simplification.

As a teacher, I know that the best and most creative students are those who use neural networks. To use such a powerful tool as AI, you need to put in a lot of effort, and you also need to know mathematics, chemistry, programming, and other exact sciences.

When working with artificial intelligence in any field, we need thorough preparation of the initial data. Otherwise, the network will draw incorrect conclusions. Returning to our polymer database, I can assure you that digital tools must be prepared very responsibly. There's no free ride here. If you do something wrong, you'll get the wrong answer. If you have a 10% error rate, consider that you no longer have a result.

Some people write dissertations arguing that AI does not train the brain but, on the contrary, reduces everything to primitivism, and human cognitive functions gradually decline. Indeed, there are grounds for this. If you constantly interact with neural networks and even just with a computer, read news and never emerge from this internal vacuum into the outside world, then your brain will not get trained.

— At the end of 2027, Elon Musk promised to release a 100-million-strong army of humanoid robots. What could this lead to?

— It depends on what he builds into them. If they are useful functions, such as the ability to grow cultivated plants, flowers, or trees, then that would be great. But if aggression is built in, it could lead to sad consequences.

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