Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most impactful cutting-edge technologies today, offering limitless development potential when integrated with various scientific fields. As the opening event of the 2025 Future Science Prize Week, the "Science and Technology Forum" – co-organised by The Future Science Awards Foundation, The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) – was held today (22 October) at HKUST.

Under the theme “Intelligence Ignites a New Chapter - Opportunities and Challenges of ‘AI+X’", the forum brought together leading scholars and industry leaders to exchange insights and explore the latest developments in AI. The forum aimed to promote vigorous technological advancement across the industry through knowledge exchange.

Several globally renowned scholars participated in the Forum. Tim Kwang Ting CHENG, Vice-President for Research and Development of HKUST, delivered the opening remarks at the event. Other speakers included Wei-Ying MA, Director of Hong Kong Institute of AI for Science at the City University of Hong Kong and Chief Scientist of AI Industry Research (AIR) Institute at Tsinghua University; Mengdi WANG, Director of the Center for AI Innovation at Princeton University; and Le CONG, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine. In addition to keynote speeches, a panel discussion with the theme "‘AI+X’ Technologies: Pioneering Interdisciplinary Explorations and Innovations" was held. The discussion explored how AI can be integrated with other scientific fields to drive interdisciplinary innovation and collaboration.

Furthermore, the third session of the 2025 Future Science Prize Science Popularisation Series, titled  "AI Walk and Talk," was held this morning. Around 100 local secondary and university students visited HKUST’s state-of-the-art laboratories, including the “ISDworks!” makerspace and The Cheng Kar-Shun Robotics Institute (CKSRI). A number of distinguished scientists and researchers also engaged in dialogue with the students, sharing their experiences and insights to encourage young people to take their first steps in exploring the world of science.

The second day (23 October) of the 2025 Future Science Prize Week will feature the 2025 Asian Young Scientist Fellowship Annual Conference. This year, 12 outstanding young researchers from cities across Asia, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, will be recognised as "Asian Young Scientist Fellows”. Professor Randy SCHEKMAN, laureate of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, will deliver a keynote speech and take part in a panel discussion. The Prize Week events will be live-streamed and can be watched on the official website (https://www.futureprize-hk.org) and the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences’ social media platforms.