As the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) sweeps across the globe, various industries are accelerating the adoption of AI technologies, sparking widespread discussion on whether AI will replace traditional human labour. The Science and Technology Forum, jointly organised by the Future Science Awards Foundation, the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences (ASHK), and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), was held at HKUST on the opening day of Future Science Prize Week (6 November).
One of the first-day events of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week was the Science and Technology Forum, where numerous scholars and industry elites gathered to discuss the era of human-machine symbiosis at HKUST. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Under the theme "The Human-Machine Symbiosis Era: Boundaries of AI and Human Choices", the forum brought together leading international scholars to explore how humanity should position itself in an era of coexistence with AI and how to define the boundaries of AI development. Professor Yike GUO, Acting President at HKUST, delivered the opening remarks at the forum.
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One of the first-day events of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week was the Science and Technology Forum, where numerous scholars and industry elites gathered to discuss the era of human-machine symbiosis at HKUST. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Professor Yike GUO, Acting President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, delivered the opening remarks and served as a guest speaker in the Science and Technology Forum. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Professor Zheng ZHANG, Professor at the School of Computing and Data Science at The University of Hong Kong and Founder and Chief Scientist of The HKU Shanghai Cross Innovation Lab, delivered keynote speech. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
A panel discussion was held during the Science and Technology Forum, bringing together top international scholars to explore the boundaries of AI and human choices in the new era. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
A reflective debate was also held at the forum, with several leading scholars acting as debaters. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Professor Yike GUO, Acting President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, delivered the opening remarks and served as a guest speaker in the Science and Technology Forum. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
The event featured keynote speeches by Professor Yike GUO and Professor Zheng ZHANG, Professor at the School of Computing and Data Science at The University of Hong Kong and Founder and Chief Scientist of The HKU Shanghai Cross Innovation Lab. The two experts gave presentations, providing in-depth analyses of the opportunities, challenges, and intellectual clashes involved in the cross-disciplinary integration of AI and human society.
Professor Zheng ZHANG, Professor at the School of Computing and Data Science at The University of Hong Kong and Founder and Chief Scientist of The HKU Shanghai Cross Innovation Lab, delivered keynote speech. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Multiple scholars and industry elites then took part in panel discussions. Notably, the forum also hosted a reflective debate, during which experts and scholars presented contrasting perspectives on both sides of the topic. The debating panelists included Peng CUI, Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Tsinghua University and IEEE Fellow; Haoyi WANG, Research Professor at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Group Leader of the Genetic Engineering Technology Research Group; Yu WANG, Tenured Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering at Tsinghua University and IEEE Fellow. Yike GUO, Zheng ZHANG, Yuan XIE, Chair Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering and Fang Professor of Engineering at HKUST, and Biwei XIE, Associate Researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences served as guest panelists.
A panel discussion was held during the Science and Technology Forum, bringing together top international scholars to explore the boundaries of AI and human choices in the new era. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
The second day of the Future Science Prize Week (7 November) continue with the Science Symposium, bringing together world-renowned scientists to share cutting-edge scientific achievements. The session themes for the second day include the “Life Sciences Session”, which will explore the frontiers of healthy longevity; the “Computer Science Session”, which will examine artificial intelligence; and a “Special Session”, which will discuss how major scientific prizes should evolve in the AI era.
A reflective debate was also held at the forum, with several leading scholars acting as debaters. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Prize Week events will be live-streamed and made available to watch on the official 2026 Future Science Prize Week website (https://www.futureprize-hk.org) and on the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences’ social media platforms.
Highlights of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week (Hong Kong)
Details can be found on the official 2026 Future Science Prize Week website (https://www.futureprize-hk.org)
The Science Symposium, a flagship event of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week (\"Prize Week\"), co-organised by the Future Science Awards Foundation and the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, is taking place today and tomorrow (6 to 7 November) at the Hong Kong Science Museum. This year’s symposium has brought together dozens of internationally renowned scientists to deliver keynote lectures in chemistry, physics and mathematics, fostering in-depth, cutting-edge interdisciplinary exchange and showcasing world-class scientific research. Two Nobel laureates, Professor Omar YAGHI (2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) and Professor Sir Andre GEIM (2010 Nobel Prize in Physics), attended in person today to deliver special keynote lectures in Hong Kong.
The two-day Science Symposium, part of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week, kicked off by a Nobel Prize laureate lecture and Chemistry Session, which featured a panel discussion with Professor Omar YAGHI (Second Left), 2025 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry; Professor Takuzo AIDA (Third Left), University Distinguished Professor of the University of Tokyo; Professor Fraser ARMSTRONG (Third Right), Emeritus Professor of Chemistry of the University of Oxford; Professor Peidong YANG (Second Right), Professor of Chemistry and S.K. and Angela Chan Distinguished Chair Professor in Energy at University of California, Berkeley; Professor Peng CHEN (First Right), Qiantang-Boya Distinguished Professor of Peking University; and Professor Samuel I. STUPP (Fourth Left), Board of Trustees Professor at Northwestern University. Professor Vivian Wing-Wah YAM (First Left), Co-Chair of the Programme Committee of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week and Vice-President of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, moderated the session. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Around 500 people attended the first day of the Symposium, while many members of the public watched the live broadcast online. Professor SUN Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government, officiated at today’s Prize Week Opening Ceremony as the guest of honour and delivered a speech.
Professor SUN Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, officiated at the opening ceremony of the Science Symposium and delivered a speech. Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
Professor Vivian Wing-Wah YAM, Co-Chair of the Programme Committee of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week and Vice-President of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, noted that since its inception in Hong Kong in 2023, the Future Science Prize Week has attracted over 85 thousand on-site participants, with more than 40 million viewers worldwide tuning in via live and rebroadcast streams. She emphasised that the event not only showcases pioneering scientific achievements but also champions the enduring spirit of scientific exploration, sparks curiosity across every generation, fostering a lifelong passion for discovery, and serves as a significant driving force in advancing scientific and technological progress in China and around the world.
Professor Vivian Wing-Wah YAM, Co-Chair of the Programme Committee of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week and Vice-President of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, said that she hopes the Prize Week events will spark young people's interest in and passion for science, thereby cultivating future innovation and technology talent for Hong Kong and establishing it as a hub for high-calibre talent. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
She also pointed out that the impact of science knows no borders. As an international hub, Hong Kong must pool global wisdom while exporting its own strengths in research. The four-day Prize Week, which includes the Science Symposium opening today, showcases the research advantages of Hong Kong's world-class institutions, better promoting innovation and technological development within the scientific communities in Hong Kong and globally, while inspiring and nurturing young people to pursue careers in research and contribute to scientific development within China and beyond.
Other guests who attended the Symposium today included Professor Fraser ARMSTRONG, recipient of the 2012 Davy Medal (Royal Society), Fellow of the Royal Society and member of Academia Europaea; Professor Takuzo AIDA, laureate of the Japan Academy Prize and University Distinguished Professor at The University of Tokyo; Professor Chaoyang LU, Executive Dean of the Shanghai Research Institute and Professor of the University of Science and Technology of China; and Professor SUN Song, laureate of the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics — New Horizons in Mathematics Prize and Chair Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics at Zhejiang University. These leading scholars engaged in in-depth exchanges on their latest research findings and held insightful discussions on cutting-edge academic topics such as supramolecular chemistry, modern optical principles, laplace eigenfunctions and geometric perspectives.
Professor Omar YAGHI 2025 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, attended the Science Symposium of the Future Science Prize Week and delivered a keynote lecture. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
The Science Symposium continues tomorrow with dedicated sessions on life science and computer science. Speakers will include Professor Ya-Qin ZHANG, former Corporate Vice President of Microsoft and Founding Dean of the Institute for AI Industry Research (AIR) at Tsinghua University, and Professor Guojun BU, Head and Chair Professor of the Division of Life Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. A special discussion, entitled \"How Should Major Prizes Evolve in the AI Era?\", will feature renowned guests including Professor Thors Hans HANSSON, Member of the Future Science Prize Advisory Committee and former Chairman of the Nobel Physics Committee; and Professor Ehud KEINAN, Member of the Future Science Prize Advisory Committee and Council Member at the Wolf Foundation.
The Science Symposium, the first event of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week, opened today with around 500 attendees. (Photo provided by the Future Science Awards Foundation)
The 2026 Future Science Prize Week events are being live-streamed and can be watched on the official website of the 2026 Future Science Prize Week (https://www.futureprize-hk.org) and on the social media platforms of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences.
