On October 12-13 2023 the US National Academies hosted a fascinating workshop on the role of AI technologies in scientific discovery; I was fortunate to be able to catch some of the talks live-streamed and to attend the second day in person; I found the talks to be delightfully skeptical, provocative and very well informed, and offering some badly needed perspective on the opportunities that AI offer in scientific research. This is a very helpful contribution to our understanding of the prospects for AI to reshape the research enterprise.

The academies have now made comprehensive video from the workshop available at

AI for Scientific Discovery - A Workshop

Join the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for a workshop on AI for scientific discovery!The goal for this meeting is to explore the future of AI in terms of its role as an autonomous researcher performing scientific discovery. This includes where AI stands, where it needs to go, and which disciplines should have increased investment for the utilization of AI scientists. Workshop sessions will discuss what it means to be an AI scientist, societal aspects of AI, enabl...

The page also contains a link to the meeting agenda, which may be helpful in navigating the video recordings.

Clifford Lynch Director, CNI