AI critical to solve humanity's challenges, make materials fully recyclable: Nobel winner

Advanced computing and artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify solutions from the vast range of new materials to tackle humanity's challenges and ensure materials are fully recyclable, 2025 Nobel Chemistry Laureate Omar Yaghi said on Friday.

Speaking to China Media Group (CMG) in an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, Yaghi said that AI and computation are crucial for sorting through an abundance of new materials to find those that are both economically viable and commercially scalable.

"Now, in this space of what I call abundance -- abundance of new materials that are going to solve almost every problem facing our planet, I mentioned climate, environment, but there are many, many other problems. They all require new materials. So in this vast space of new materials, which one is going to solve which problem, and AI and computation are going to help us identify, which is that material that is going to solve the problem and also not just solve the problem, but solve the problem in an economic fashion and commercializeable fashion, so that the molecule reaches society," said Yaghi, who is leading an initiative to use AI to discover entirely new materials.

Yaghi also said that the ultimate goal of integrating AI into chemistry is to ensure a fully circular and sustainable lifecycle for materials, allowing them to be broken back down into their original components once their utility is exhausted.

"In the fullness of time, we want to use AI to not just go from the molecule to society. After they have run their lifetime, take them back to the original building units that we put in. And so now you're closing the cycle on this new technology, so that you create an industry that is sustainable," said Yaghi.

The 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance runs from Friday to next Monday under the theme of "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future."

AI critical to solve humanity's challenges, make materials fully recyclable: Nobel winner

China's emergency management authorities on Saturday called for stronger flood prevention and control as well as disaster response measures as heavy rainfall continues to affect multiple parts of the country.

The country's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management held a joint consultation meeting with the China Meteorological Administration and other central government agencies in the day to assess recent rainfall and flood conditions.

The meeting pointed out the main rain belt has shifted south again, bringing heavy rainfall to southwest China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and south China. Meanwhile, north China, south central parts of northeast China, the Huanghuai region (encompassing parts of Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong) and eastern Inner Mongolia are expected to see frequent showers and thunderstorms, keeping the flood control situation severe and complex.

At the meeting, authorities urged local governments to fully recognize the severity of potential disasters, remain on high alert, fully implement flood prevention and control measures and promptly evacuate residents if signs of danger emerge.

They also called for stepped-up efforts for flood prevention and control along rivers with water levels above warning thresholds, strengthened monitoring of mountain torrents, geological disasters, small and medium-sized rivers, reservoirs with safety risks, and urban waterlogging, and timely reductions in reservoir water levels after flood regulation in case of possible future flooding.

Authorities also urged local governments to accelerate post-disaster recovery, restore essential services including electricity and water supply, telecommunications and transport, strengthen epidemic prevention and control measures, and ensure that the basic needs of affected residents are met.

Authorities urge stronger flood preparedness amid complex rain outlook in China