According to a Xinhua News Agency report on March 27, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the National Natural Science Foundation of China, has recently launched a special initiative titled “AI-Driven Scientific Research.”
Why is China initiating this dedicated deployment? What is its significance? And how will artificial intelligence reshape our daily lives? To address these questions, the “Qiang Guancha” column of People’s Daily Online interviewed Wang Feiyue, Chair of the Supervisory Committee of the Chinese Association of Automation and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Management and Control for Complex Systems at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wang Haiyan, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Committee of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League and Vice Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Zhang Linfeng, Deputy Director of the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence and a member of the Expert Group for the Ministry of Science and Technology’s “Science and Technology Innovation 2030 – Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence” Major Project.
What does “AI-Driven Scientific Research” focus on?
People’s Daily Online: What signal does the launch of this special initiative send, and how does AI-driven scientific research differ from traditional scientific approaches?
Wang Feiyue: “AI-Driven Scientific Research” primarily leverages intelligent science and technology to advance and transform conventional scientific methodologies. First, it enables faster processing of data obtained from experiments, observations, and simulations, extracting critical insights to accelerate scientific discovery. Second, it provides more efficient computation and simulation capabilities—essential for studying complex natural phenomena and systems. Additionally, it plays a pivotal role in strengthening interdisciplinary integration and shaping the emerging field of “new liberal arts.”
Wang Haiyan: Applying AI to scientific research essentially introduces novel methodologies into the research process. Its widespread adoption could trigger a paradigm shift in science itself. “AI-Driven Scientific Research” effectively harnesses AI algorithms to tackle unresolved scientific challenges. Its greatest strength lies in connecting data, models, algorithms, computing power, and human expertise in an entirely new way—helping researchers across disciplines and industries break down silos, rapidly reach consensus, and iterate knowledge collaboratively.
Zhang Linfeng: “AI-Driven Scientific Research” represents a profound reconfiguration of disciplinary and knowledge systems. It demands deep integration across computer science, data science, materials science, chemistry, biology, and other fields, as well as more advanced theoretical development and algorithmic innovation in foundational disciplines like mathematics and physics. This unprecedented approach will bring together people from vastly different backgrounds and specialties.
What far-reaching implications will this initiative have?
People’s Daily Online: From the perspectives of economic development and technological preparedness, why is this initiative important for China’s current trajectory?
Wang Haiyan: Many countries are now closely watching “AI-Driven Scientific Research,” which could soon become a new arena of global competition. Economically, it can significantly shorten both the scientific research cycle and the timeline from basic research to commercial application—thereby driving technological innovation, boosting economic returns, promoting industrial upgrading, and creating high-quality jobs. From a technological standpoint, it empowers researchers to uncover new patterns and laws within massive datasets, elevating overall research capabilities. Institutionally, it will foster cross-disciplinary scientific collaboration, catalyze new organizational models for research teams, and inspire innovative approaches to data governance.
Wang Feiyue: In my view, the core value lies in enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of scientific research. This special initiative is accelerating a paradigm shift in science—one that heralds a scientific revolution capable of reshaping the global order.
Zhang Linfeng: With the rapid advancement of next-generation AI technologies, scientific research is transitioning from a traditional “artisanal” model to a “platform-based” model. This initiative is the primary catalyst for establishing that platform-driven paradigm and will help China secure a leading position in the upcoming scientific revolution.
Why focus on these key issues and priority areas?
People’s Daily Online: The initiative closely integrates fundamental disciplines—such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and astronomy—and addresses urgent research needs in priority fields including drug discovery, genomics, bio-breeding, and new materials development. What considerations underlie this strategic focus?
Zhang Linfeng: Fundamental disciplines provide the theoretical bedrock for technological progress. Areas like drug discovery, genomics, and bio-breeding are among the most representative and rapidly advancing domains where AI and scientific research intersect—driven by urgent real-world demands. For example, AI models built upon biological mechanisms, disease and drug-response data, and pharmaceutical properties can predict the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutics.
It is worth noting that AI methods for scientific research cannot simply replicate today’s mainstream models and algorithms. Instead, they require purpose-built intelligent algorithms, models, and software tools tailored to scientific challenges.
Wang Haiyan: Drug discovery, genomics, bio-breeding, and new materials are among the most competitive frontiers in global science and technology. Meanwhile, disciplines like mathematics, physics, and chemistry form the foundational logic underpinning all scientific fields and critical core technologies.
Traditional research in these areas often relies on extensive experimental validation and immense computational power, involving countless trial-and-error iterations. Manual approaches are simply too slow and inefficient. AI offers transformative tools that can dramatically compress the path from basic research to technological innovation—and may even enable breakthroughs in foundational sciences.
What is the global outlook for AI, and where does China stand?
People’s Daily Online: What are the current characteristics of China’s AI development? And what is the future outlook as this initiative is implemented?
Wang Feiyue: The field of AI has evolved from algorithmic intelligence to language intelligence and is now accelerating toward an era of “imaginative intelligence.” In the future, humanity’s capacity for scientific imagination will become the primary driver of productivity, and knowledge automation will become a standard societal technology. China’s AI research aligns with this trajectory: domestic enterprises, laboratories, and universities are actively engaging with global frontiers and striving to remain in the world’s first echelon.
We are excited by the global progress in AI—but there is still a long road ahead before “AI-Driven Scientific Research” becomes a widely adopted paradigm.
(Reporters: Zhou Jing, Zhu Jiang)
