NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Two Nobel Laureates Explore the Holy Grail in Science

HLMA Talks recently brought together two giants in fundamental science—Prof. David Gross (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2004) and Prof. Arieh Warshel (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2013)—for an extraordinary dialogue in Hong Kong. Sharing the stage for the first time and moderated by HKUST Chair Professor of Physics, Prof. Kam Tuen Law, the two luminaries offered thought-provoking insights into the future of fundamental scientific research and the challenges brought by AI.  

Prof. Warshel captivated the audience with his vision of chemistry’s ultimate frontier—the human brain. “Understanding how the brain works, how emotion works, where memory is stored—that’s the holy grail,” he said. Yet he sounded a cautionary note on AI: “AI gives you results, but not reasons. If you just operate the machine, you become its slave.”  

Prof. Gross added, “I'm not that impressed by AI. It can make reasonable conjectures as to what a good answer is. Often it lies and is wrong and has no way of verifying. It certainly is not intelligent in the sense that everyone in this room is.” 

The panel also paid tribute to the late Prof. Chen-Ning Yang (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1957), whose groundbreaking work reshaped modern physics. Opening remarks by Mr. Ronnie C. Chan, Honorary Chair of Hang Lung Properties, reminisced about Yang’s warmth and his support for HLMA.  

The Nobel Laureates advice to the next generation? Master the fundamentals. Embrace uncertainty. Never stop being curious.  

Relive this rare conversation—watch the full dialogue [link].