The “Shaw Prize Laureates Roundtable: The Future of Science: Breakthroughs and Impacts”, jointly presented by The Shaw Prize Foundation and the Hong Kong Science Museum and hosted by the South China Morning Post, was held at the Hong Kong Science Museum on November 14.The gathering brought together four distinguished 2024 Shaw Prize Laureates for an interdisciplinary discussion on various aspects of scientific research, from interpersonal to international communication and collaboration, to the impact of AI on the entire scientific community and beyond. The roundtable attracted over 120 in-person participants and hundreds of online viewers.

Speakers included Shrinivas Kulkarni , 2024 Shaw Prize Laureate in Astronomy; Swee Lay Thein and Stuart Orkin , 2024 Shaw Prize Laureates in Life Sciences and Medicine; and Peter Sarnak , 2024 Shaw Prize Laureate in Mathematical Sciences.

A key theme of the conversation was the increasing role of emerging technologies, particularly AI, in scientific research. Speakers acknowledged the inevitability of AI integration across disciplines and stressed the need for scientists to embrace this advancement. From a life sciences perspective, AI has the potential to accelerate drug development by replacing the traditional trial-and-error method. Students need to be equipped with the technology and be aware of what the tool can and cannot do. Mathematician Sarnak stressed the importance of leveraging valuable resources such as international conferences, particularly those held in large cities like Hong Kong , to maximize the impact of AI in driving scientific breakthroughs through increased international collaboration.

While the benefits of AI were acknowledged, concerns about the implications of this technology were also addressed during the panel discussion. Speakers highlighted the pivotal role of the process of understanding in the pursuit of knowledge, emphasizing that this process encapsulates the very essence of being a scientist – an aspect that AI cannot replicate.

During the interactive session, the speakers answered various questions from the audience, which included many young researchers and scholars. Biologists Orkin and Thein encouraged young scientists to pursue their own interests and commit to work they strongly believe in. In contrast, astronomer Kulkarni, who viewed science as a strategic endeavor, advised students to identify and maximize their strengths and optimize resources effectively to achieve success in this “game” of science.

This is a translated copy; for professional accuracy, please refer to the English version.

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