TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told an audience in Singapore that artificial intelligence will produce major scientific breakthroughs within the next two to three years. Speaking at the DBS Asia Future Forward Conference on Monday, he described the timeline as "very, very, very possible," pointing to fields such as physics, biotech, chemistry, and material science.
Chew's comments frame AI as a near-term accelerator for research rather than a distant promise. He did not offer specific examples or evidence, but his confidence suggests that business leaders in tech expect AI to move from productivity tools to core scientific discovery engines.
The remarks come as AI investment continues to dominate corporate strategy. While Chew's prediction is bold, it aligns with a broader industry narrative that AI's biggest impact may be in accelerating experimentation and hypothesis generation in the lab, not just in software.