International Congress of Basic Science opens in Beijing

The 2026 International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS 2026) commenced on August 9 in Beijing. The event features prominent scientific figures, including four Fields Medalists—Shing-Tung Yau, Maxim Kontsevich, Martin Hairer, and Caucher Birkar—as well as Turing Award laureate Robert Tarjan.

More than 400 internationally recognized scholars and 800 researchers and students from over 30 countries are participating. The congress includes over 80 recipients of prestigious honors such as the Shaw Prize, Wolf Prize, and Dirac Medal.

During the opening, Li Luming, president of Tsinghua University, highlighted the necessity for research universities to advance fundamental disciplines and utilize AI to accelerate scientific discovery. ICBS President Shing-Tung Yau noted that while AI can assist in mathematical deduction, it cannot replace human creativity and intuition in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.