Five Nobel laureates gather in Singapore to debate whether AI can speed the next scientific revolution
As the 2026 Nobel Prize announcements in physiology or medicine, physics, and chemistry unfolded from Oct. 5 to 7, Singapore hosted Nobel Heroes & AI4SCI Summit Singapore 2026, where five past Nobel laureates met to discuss a question now moving from theory into laboratories: can artificial intelligence accelerate the next scientific revolution? The two-day event brought together about 500 guests and featured seven Nobel roundtables and dialogues on AI for Science, scientific discovery, healthy longevity, the future of work, and urban sustainability. Speakers included Omar M. Yaghi, Fred Ramsdell, Benjamin List, Sir Konstantin Novoselov, and Sir Christopher Pissarides. Their views differed by discipline, but several themes kept returning: AI is reshaping how experiments are designed and how data is processed, while the human task of identifying meaningful questions remains central. The summit also highlighted youth training, cross-disciplinary collaboration, long-term support for research, and public engagement through a Nobel portrait exhibition in Singapore. Organizers said a follow-up event, Masters of Abstraction & AI4SCI Summit, is scheduled for Hong Kong on Dec. 16-17.
