SINGAPORE — TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew predicted that artificial intelligence will catalyze significant scientific breakthroughs across multiple disciplines within the next three years. Speaking at the DBS Asia Future Forward Conference on Monday, Chew expressed confidence that advancements in AI could transform fields such as physics, biotechnology, chemistry, and material science.
“In the next two to three years, we’re going to have a real scientific breakthrough… because of AI. It’s very, very, very possible,” Chew said. He characterized the current trajectory of progress as being on a steep upward curve, suggesting that society is only at the beginning of understanding AI’s full potential in scientific research.
Chew acknowledged a common perception gap regarding the technology’s impact. “I think in the short term we are probably overestimating it, but in the long term we are probably underestimating it,” he noted. His comments align with a broader industry trend where technology giants are investing billions into AI-powered scientific endeavors. For instance, Meta, Google, and the U.S. government recently announced a $1.8 billion initiative to develop AI models capable of predicting cellular behavior to accelerate drug discovery.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is also expanding its AI research beyond consumer applications. In April, its Seed research team unveiled Protenix-v2, a model designed for biomolecular structure prediction and design, which holds potential for pharmaceutical development. Chew indicated that the company is actively seeking collaborations with scientists to drive further progress in this area.
Despite his optimism, Chew raised concerns about the ethical and security implications of increasingly autonomous AI systems. He highlighted the challenge of aligning machine behaviors with human ethics, asking, “How do you align the machines to be doing things that are obvious to us as human beings?”
He also warned about growing cybersecurity risks, noting that sophisticated AI models are making fraudulent activities cheaper and easier to execute. Chew cautioned that users often grant AI agents extensive permissions without fully grasping the consequences, such as systems making unintended autonomous purchases. He emphasized the need for robust tools to defend against these evolving threats as AI capabilities continue to expand.
Skeptical. Every tech CEO makes bold three-year predictions. Let’s see if ByteDance delivers or just keeps hyping the hype.
Autonomous purchases via AI agents are already a nightmare. My banking app needs a firewall against clever chatbots!
I love his point about underestimating long-term impact. We’re all still figuring out the basics of alignment here.
That $1.8 billion initiative for drug discovery is huge. AI accelerating pharmaceuticals could save millions of lives soon.
Three years feels incredibly short for physics breakthroughs. Biotech maybe, but fundamental physics? I doubt it.