Global Strategies to Accelerate AI in Science and Research

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The International Science Council’s Center for Science Futures published the report “Preparing National Research Ecosystems for AI: Strategies and Progress in 2024” to address the gap present between AI having huge implications for research and development systems and governments not showing how they plan to accelerate the uptake of AI by science and research institutions.

The paper provides insights and resources from countries worldwide at various stages of integrating AI into their research ecosystems. Following are several countries and their stages, as provided by Techxplore:

• Australia: Preparing for human-centric use of AI.
• Benin: Anticipating the impacts of AI on West Africa’s aspiring digital services hub.
• Brazil: Reaping the benefits of artificial intelligence with some cautionary notes.
• Cambodia: Seeking AI approaches to national research missions.
• Chile: Finding possibilities to apply AI in an existing research financing ecosystem.
• China: Promoting the AI for Science approach.
• India: Gaining insights into transformative technologies and their social integration.
• Mexico: Creating a national lead agency for AI.
• Uruguay: Following a roadmap to prepare national science systems for AI.
• Uzbekistan: Building the right conditions and skills for AI.

The experts who wrote the case studies about their countries are at the forefront of integrating AI into their national science systems and shaping the future of innovation and discovery.

Co-author Nurfadhlina Mohd Sharef from the Academy of Sciences in Malaysia writes that “…hardly any other country can emulate the US or China when it comes to AI or the size of their research ecosystems. This paper, however, provides visions of the ambitions, achievements, and challenges ahead worldwide. It will be useful to decision-makers from a much larger pool of countries.”

The paper is essentially an urgent call for continued discussion and collaboration between countries as they introduce AI in their research priorities.

Senior Director of the International Science Council and Head of the ISC Center for Science Futures Mathieu Denis states: “This is the beginning of a conversation. Our ambition with this paper is not only to document current initiatives but also to support the collective journey to better prepare for this critical technological transformation of science systems. Ultimately, this is about making sure that AI works for science.”

This information was provided by Techxplore.