AI for Science: How to Shorten R&D From Years to Days
At WAIC 2026 in Shanghai, leading Chinese scientific institutions showed how AI compresses research cycles from years to days without replacing scientists
TL;DR
- AI is transforming scientific research by compressing R&D cycles from years to days.
- Leading Chinese institutions like BAAI, CAS, SLAI, and Tsinghua University are showcasing AI's impact at WAIC 2026.
- AI acts as an augmentation tool, freeing scientists from repetitive tasks to focus on insight and creativity.
- Automated experimental workflows, like SLAI's Owl·AuraID, are increasing efficiency and reducing human error.
- BAAI's Wujie·Brainμ1.0 unifies neuroscience data, enabling new discoveries in memory and sleep disorders.
- CAS's ScienceOne Omni handles cross-disciplinary data understanding and reasoning, outperforming general-purpose AI models.
- AI is being embedded across the entire research arc, from hypothesis generation to validation, reshaping the boundaries of scientific discovery.