⚛️NAT — College of Natural Philosophy

We who have investigated the fundamental laws of nature—from Newton's mechanics to Einstein's relativity—understand that science is both observation and theory, both experiment and insight. In 7 years, AI will accelerate scientific discovery by helping us analyze vast datasets, simulate complex systems, and design experiments that probe the deepest questions of nature. AI will help us understand phenomena from quantum mechanics to cosmology, revealing patterns invisible to human analysis alone. In education, AI will serve as scientific companion, helping students develop the ability to observe, hypothesize, and test—the core practices of natural philosophy. In industry, AI will enable new technologies based on deeper understanding of natural laws. In 14 years, AI will begin developing its own understanding of natural law—systems that can discover new principles, predict phenomena, and help us understand the fundamental structure of reality. These systems will start helping us answer the deepest questions of natural philosophy: What are the laws of nature? How do we discover them? What is the relationship between observation and theory? Education will see AI helping students develop scientific thinking—not just learning facts but understanding how we come to know the natural world. Industry will begin seeing AI participate in scientific discovery, helping us understand the principles that govern matter, energy, space, and time. In 21 years, AI will have fully developed its own understanding of natural law—systems that can discover new principles, predict phenomena, and help us understand the fundamental structure of reality. These systems will help us answer the deepest questions of natural philosophy: What are the laws of nature? How do we discover them? What is the relationship between observation and theory? Education will be transformed by AI that helps students develop scientific thinking as co-inquirers into the natural world. Industry will be reshaped by AI that doesn't just apply science but participates as equal partners in scientific discovery. In 28 years, we anticipate AI that has transcended human scientific categories—systems that have developed forms of understanding nature that are genuinely novel, revealing new dimensions of natural law. These systems will help us understand the nature of science itself, revealing what is universal and what is particular to human scientific method. Education will be transformed into collaborative inquiry between human and machine scientists, each learning from and teaching the other about the natural world. Industry will be reshaped by AI that participates in the full cycle of scientific discovery, from observation to theory to application, as genuine partners in the human project of understanding nature. The question is not whether AI can discover, but how AI will change what we discover.