US, 16 nations back ‘super intelligence’ push

Washington, Oct 4 (IANS) The United States and 16 other countries have endorsed a new international initiative aimed at harnessing "Super Intelligence" to accelerate scientific discovery, expand researchers' access to advanced computing and experiment with new ways of funding science.

The Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science was endorsed at the 23rd annual meeting of the Science and Technology in Society Forum in Japan's Kyoto, the White House said on Sunday.

India is not among the countries listed as endorsing the declaration.

The initiative was led by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios and comes as the Trump administration seeks to reshape the US scientific research system around artificial intelligence, advanced computing and new institutional models.

The White House said the declaration recognises an opportunity to use super intelligence, or SI, to accelerate scientific discovery and enable autonomous experimentation at scale.

"The way we make scientific discoveries has changed, and the Kyoto Vision is a recognition of that shift and a call to action," Kratsios said.

"Super intelligence applied to science will be the greatest force in history for democratising research. Seizing this moment requires us to reinvigorate our research enterprises and leverage new institutional models for discovery. Under President Trump's leadership, the United States is leading that charge, and the Kyoto Vision shows the world is ready to move forward with us."

The declaration focuses on three broad areas: changing institutions involved in scientific discovery, harnessing Super Intelligence for research and cultivating scientific talent.

Under the first pillar, participating countries backed the use of different funding mechanisms, including long-duration awards, rapid grants, prizes and challenges.

They also encouraged experimentation with institutions offering varying levels of autonomy, resources and direction to researchers.

The countries welcomed "metascience" — the empirical study of how science itself is conducted, organised and funded — as a way of improving research for public benefit.

On Super Intelligence, Ministers recognised that the technology is already accelerating existing research tasks while creating new forms of scientific inquiry, according to the White House.

They pledged to expand researchers' access to SI tools, scientific data, computing infrastructure and experimental facilities, while encouraging its integration into scientific workflows.

The third component focuses on scientific talent, particularly students and researchers early in their careers.

The participating countries committed to identifying and investing in meritorious students and early-career researchers and giving them greater support and freedom to pursue ambitious research.

They also called for more hands-on training, cross-sector doctoral programmes, fellowships and research partnerships, particularly in fields requiring specialists capable of operating and improving sophisticated scientific instruments.

Besides the United States, the countries endorsing the declaration are Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The initiative follows a report Kratsios delivered to President Donald Trump in July titled "Science: A New Golden Age".

The White House described it as the most comprehensive reconsideration of the American science and technology research enterprise in eight decades.

That report established new directions for US government agencies on how they conduct, finance and measure the impact of research and development, reflecting changes in the scientific landscape and emerging technological capabilities.