AI Ushers in a New Era of Scientific Discovery, Says Co-founder of TCCI

Chrissy Luo, Co-founder of the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience (TCCI), delivered the keynote address at the inaugural AI Accelerated Science Symposium (AIAS 2025).

The two-day event convened three Nobel laureates alongside leading scientists and executives from institutions including Stanford University, MIT, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of scientific discovery.

In her remarks, Luo, who also co-founded Shanda Group, outlined TCCI’s mission to enhance the human experience by advancing understanding of how the brain perceives, learns, and interacts with the world.

Calling this mission both “simple and grand,” she reflected on how, since TCCI’s founding in 2016, the institute has built a global ecosystem that fosters research collaboration, talent development, academic innovation, and public engagement.

Luo highlighted that artificial intelligence represents a pivotal force for the next phase of this ecosystem’s evolution. Together with Tianqiao Chen, Founder of Shanda Group and TCCI, she envisions a new era of discovery driven by the integration of human and artificial intelligence.

Over the past five years, TCCI has launched a series of AI-centered initiatives designed to accelerate interdisciplinary research and democratize access to cutting-edge science worldwide. The AIAS 2025 symposium marks both a milestone in these ongoing efforts and the beginning of a new chapter in TCCI’s mission to accelerate scientific progress through AI.

During the event, Luo announced the establishment of the AI-Driven Science Prize, created in collaboration with the journal Science. The annual award recognizes exceptional early-career researchers who are creatively applying AI across scientific disciplines. This year, three young scientists were honored for groundbreaking work in biochemistry, neuroscience, and marine science, sharing a total prize of US$50,000, with their research featured in Science.

“We are witnessing a historic moment where artificial intelligence is not only transforming industries—it is transforming the very way we understand life itself,” Luo said. “By empowering scientists with new tools and perspectives, AI is redefining the nature of discovery.”

The full text of Chrissy Luo’s remarks is as follows:

Good morning, everyone.

I’m Chrissy Luo, Co-founder of the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience (TCCI). It is a great honor to welcome you all to the TCCI Symposium for AI Accelerated Science.

First, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our partner — the School of Computing, Data Science, and Society at the University of California, Berkeley. Their unwavering support has made this symposium possible.

I am also deeply grateful to everyone here today for joining us — so many remarkable and talented minds gathered under one roof. Over the next two days, you will hear from some of the world’s most visionary thinkers — including Nobel laureates, leading researchers, and groundbreaking young scientists — who will show us the limitless possibilities that emerge when human intelligence meets artificial intelligence.

Some of you may be hearing about the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute for the first time, so please allow me to briefly introduce who we are and what we do.

When Mr. Tianqiao Chen and I founded the institute in 2016, our mission was both simple and ambitious: to improve the human experience by understanding how the brain perceives, learns, and interacts with the world.

Over the past nine years, we have built a global ecosystem — establishing research partnerships with top universities and hospitals, hosting high-impact conferences, supporting young scientists through training programs, empowering physician-scientist scholars, and communicating science to the public.

Through these initiatives, one truth has become increasingly clear: technology is a powerful enabler of discovery. We believe that by combining human and artificial intelligence, we can usher in a new era of scientific breakthroughs. To advance this vision, TCCI has developed a series of AI-focused initiatives:

• In 2021, we supported the California Institute of Technology in establishing a Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, strengthening AI education and research for students and faculty.

• In 2022, we launched our first summer workshop, which has since expanded across the United States, Japan, and Europe, training young scientists to integrate data science, machine learning, and AI into their research.

• In 2025, we introduced the Tianqiao Scholars Program to support physician-scientists at leading institutions such as UC San Francisco, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Mayo Clinic. These scholars are pioneering the use of AI in medicine — developing new tools, diagnostics, and therapies to improve patient care.

• In 2024, we launched the AI-Driven Science Prize, an annual global award in partnership with Science magazine. It recognizes early-career scientists who creatively and impactfully apply AI in the physical and life sciences. This afternoon, you will hear from the inaugural prize winners — I am confident their work will leave a lasting impression.

Finally, I would like to highlight our commitment to science communication. In today’s world, effectively communicating science and building public trust in research is both essential and challenging. Our media division, Grand Mirror Studio, produces engaging short-form content that merges cutting-edge science with compelling storytelling, visual innovation, and a dedication to accuracy. These works have reached a global audience of over 2.4 million followers and 240 million views, helping make complex ideas accessible to people everywhere.

The AIAS 2025 Symposium represents the latest chapter in the growth of our ecosystem. This is more than a conference — it is a gathering of our community: scientists, engineers, clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors, and students. We are united by a shared belief that artificial intelligence is transforming the very nature of scientific discovery.

Over the next two days, I hope you will be inspired by the discussions, impressed by the achievements, and motivated to form collaborations that will continue long after this event concludes.

On behalf of Mr. Tianqiao Chen and everyone at the Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, I want to thank you all for being part of this important dialogue. Together, let us explore how AI can accelerate science — and, ultimately, improve the human experience.