Sixteen nations embrace AI in science

The United States and fifteen other countries will release a joint statement on Sunday in Kyoto, Japan, describing a shared vision for a golden age of science that embraces artificial intelligence.

The statement calls it super intelligence

The Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science uses the term super intelligence, following President Donald Trump's recent executive order renaming artificial intelligence.

AI will open new frontiers

The statement says super intelligence and new ways of organizing research are opening entirely new frontiers of discovery and recognizes the opportunity to take advantage of these changes.

“Super Intelligence and new ways of organizing research are opening entirely new frontiers of discovery.”

Kratsios leads the vision

Michael Kratsios, head of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, spearheaded the vision statement. Tech ministers from Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates endorsed it.

Metascience gains global attention

The statement welcomes the growing field of metascience, which describes the study of the scientific process itself. Its prominence signals increased international adoption of this approach.

Robots and AI will run labs

Kratsios plans to outline a vision where laboratories run by robots and AI systems can design scientific experiments, iterate and analyze results at superhuman speeds.

AI will democratize research

In his remarks at the forum, Kratsios will say super intelligence applied to science will be an incredible force for democratization of research and breakthrough developments.

“Super intelligence applied to science will be an incredible force for democratization of research and breakthrough developments.”

Companies are already moving

Leading AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI have recently launched initiatives to connect biomedical laboratories to powerful AI systems, while other companies have attempted to automate laboratories for years.

But funding is being cut

The Trump administration's proposed budget for the two thousand twenty-seven fiscal year would cut funding for the National Science Foundation by about half, contradicting the vision statement's emphasis on public trust.

Critics question the contradiction

Gretchen Goldman, president and CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the administration has undermined scientific research efforts and shattered public trust in the science enterprise.

“They've shattered the trust of the American people in the way they've treated the U.S. science and technology enterprise.”

Goldman doubts the promises

Goldman said it is hard to take seriously any promises of increased trust and transparency when looking at the administration's actions, particularly cuts to the National Institutes of Health.

“It's hard to take seriously any promises of increased trust and transparency when you look at the actions they've taken.”

NSF launches metascience office

In September, the National Science Foundation announced it would establish an Office of Metascience charged with evaluating new approaches to funding and identifying which award mechanisms lead to the best scientific outcomes.

Kratsios plans broader reforms

Kratsios is leading the Genesis Mission, a national effort Trump launched last year to unleash a new age of AI-accelerated innovation and discovery. He plans to host a summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday with scientific and business leaders.