E Weinan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that artificial intelligence acts as a combination of mathematics and computer engineering. He believes this technology will lower barriers to scientific research and promote democratization in the field. According to E, future research will be driven by independent teams and individuals who can leverage open laboratories and cloud services.
The expert highlighted that domestic companies currently struggle with a lack of original innovation, leading to intense competition based solely on management and pricing. He pointed out that sectors like high-end industrial software and machine tool control systems are currently dependent on foreign technology. However, he suggested that building AI-native industrial software systems could allow for rapid self-sufficiency or even overtaking established leaders like Siemens within one to two years.
E Weinan distinguished between AI for Science and AI for Industry, noting that the latter faces higher hurdles due to closed data and software ecosystems. He identified modeling industrial production lines as a key task for the next three to five years. Furthermore, he warned that the current academic system is ill-equipped for the AI era, specifically citing the inability to handle a potential hundredfold increase in submissions to top journals.
The academician emphasized that disruptive innovation relies on free exploration rather than task-driven mandates. He criticized the tendency to equate free research with mere paper writing. He concluded that scientific output will shift from academic papers to intellectual property, necessitating a restructuring of industrial forms and a new approach to talent development in universities that prioritizes understanding practical needs.
