Governments endorse AI-driven research in the Kyoto Vision
Governments meeting in Kyoto endorsed a science declaration led by White House science director Michael Kratsios. The signatories back artificial intelligence in experiments alongside new research institutions and funding methods, presenting the technology as a way to broaden participation in science. They also champion public trust. Proposed cuts to American federal research funding have drawn criticism from the Union of Concerned Scientists, whose leader questions the administration’s promises to strengthen that trust.
Artificial Intelligence··Midday
Governments back a shared research agenda
The Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science received government endorsements at Japan’s Science and Technology in Society forum. Michael Kratsios, who heads the White House science and technology office, led the declaration. It encourages artificial intelligence in scientific research, alongside changes to the institutions and financing that support experiments. The gathering is an annual forum dating back to 2004; the White House places the endorsement at its 23rd meeting.[1], [2]
The country figures differ by account and publication day. NBC News wrote on Saturday that Washington would issue the statement with 15 other countries on Sunday. Sunday’s White House announcement instead says the United States and 16 countries endorsed it. Its list contains 17 national names, including the United States. NBC identifies technology ministers from Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates among the participating representatives.[1], [2]
AI experiments and new institutions feature in the vision
The declaration uses the term super intelligence for AI, a name NBC links to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order. The White House argues that combining it with new research methods can speed discovery and support autonomous experiments on a large scale. Kratsios presents the shift as an opportunity to broaden access to research. Ministers also committed to institutional and funding approaches that let scientists pursue ambitious projects.[1], [2]
In advance remarks supplied to NBC, Kratsios envisaged robot-operated laboratories in which AI designs experiments, repeats them and examines results at speeds beyond human researchers. NBC published these as remarks he planned to deliver. The declaration also embraces metascience, the examination of how science itself works. In September, the National Science Foundation announced plans for an office devoted to that field.[2]
Research funding cuts draw objections
Public trust and a range of funding mechanisms are among the declaration’s stated priorities. Yet NBC reports that the administration’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget would roughly halve National Science Foundation funding. Gretchen Goldman, president and chief executive of the Union of Concerned Scientists, disputes the administration’s promises on trust. Citing reductions at the National Institutes of Health, she says its actions have damaged research and public confidence.[2]
Kratsios had already delivered a report on reorganizing American science to Trump in July 2026. The White House says it proposed new approaches to conducting, financing and measuring federally supported research. NBC says a Washington summit on that report was planned for Thursday. Jenn Gustetic of the Institute for Progress welcomes other countries’ interest in metascience, an approach she says has gained momentum in Britain and the United States.[1], [2]
