The United States and 16 other countries endorsed the Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science during the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology in Society Forum in Japan on Sunday.
The joint declaration reflects a shared ambition to strengthen science ecosystems and "usher in a golden age of discovery and prosperity," the White House said in a statement. Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom also endorsed the vision.
"We recognize that science and technology have made our societies healthier and more prosperous. Furthermore, Super Intelligence (SI) and new ways of organizing research are opening entirely new frontiers of discovery," the ministers responsible for science, technology, and innovation wrote.
The accord comes after President Trump signed an executive order directing the executive branch to use "super intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence" last week, subsequently tapping Director of National Intelligence and former SEC Chair Jay Clayton to lead his new Super Intelligence Force. While the idea has caused some skepticism, Trump's branding appears to be gaining traction, with Elon Musk among those showing support and saying SpaceXAI will change its name to SpaceXSI.
The Kyoto Vision
Led by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, the Kyoto Vision recognizes the potential of super intelligence to accelerate scientific discovery, the White House said, enabling autonomous experimentation at scale and unlocking new experimental and analytical capabilities.
"The way we make scientific discoveries has changed, and the Kyoto Vision is a recognition of that shift and a call to action," Director Kratsios said. "Super intelligence applied to science will be the greatest force in history for democratizing research."
The ministers pledged to harness funding mechanisms to help scientists pursue their most ambitious work, including long-duration awards, rapid grants, and prizes and challenges. They also encouraged experimentation with new institutional models that offer different levels of autonomy, resources, and direction, alongside the integration of SI into scientific workflows - including autonomous, closed-loop discovery - pledging to expand researcher access to SI for science tools, scientific data, computing infrastructure, and experimental facilities. Additionally, they committed to identifying and investing in students and early-career researchers, and to provide them with the support, freedom, and opportunity to conduct "ambitious inquiry."
"We seek to realize this vision in our national systems to improve institutions of scientific discovery, harness SI to accelerate research, and expand opportunities for technical talent," the ministers said.