2026 workshop program
The Evolution of Science in the Age of AI
The work
Abstract
Machine learning is rapidly changing the way science is done. With the advent of agentic systems capable of autonomous thought over the last 6 months we have passed into the era of artificial general intelligence. Even with no further technological advance beyond today’s technology, the practice of science will never be the same. However the technology is advancing: the bots are sill getting smarter and we are not. That makes adapting particularly difficult, particularly in a glacial academic environment. This talk will give a perspective on the transformation from machine learning to agentic AI and some speculation on where we are headed.
The speaker
Biography
Matthew Schwartz is a professor of physics at Harvard and a principal investigator in the NSF Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI). Schwartz’s primary research area is quantum field theory. His book on the subject is the standard text used in field theory courses worldwide. Schwartz has been working with modern machine learning tools since 2016 and has written a number of influtential papers on the subject. His recent blog post “Vibe physics: The AI grad student” which narrates how he used agentic AI to do real science, has provided an influential framework for thinking about how AI will transform scientific research.