TikTok CEO Predicts AI Will Deliver Scientific Breakthroughs Within Three Years

What Happened

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said Monday that artificial intelligence will drive major scientific breakthroughs within two to three years. Chew made the remarks at a conference in Singapore, citing rapid advances across biotech, physics, chemistry, and materials science as the basis for his timeline.

The prediction places a concrete window on AI-driven scientific progress, with Chew suggesting breakthroughs could arrive as early as 2027 and no later than 2029.

What He Said

Chew identified four specific scientific domains he expects AI to accelerate: biotechnology, physics, chemistry, and materials science. He did not detail which specific problems within those fields he believes AI will solve, nor did he specify which AI systems or research programs he was referencing.

The remarks were delivered publicly at the Singapore conference and subsequently reported by CNBC, Quartz, and multiple technology news outlets. No additional written statement or formal presentation from Chew was available in the wire reports at time of publication.

Who Is Shou Zi Chew

Shou Zi Chew has served as CEO of TikTok since 2021. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, one of the largest technology companies in the world by valuation. Chew is a Singaporean national and has previously served in executive roles at Xiaomi. He became widely recognised internationally in March 2023 when he testified before the United States Congress regarding TikTok's data practices and its relationship with its Chinese parent company.

Chew's public profile has grown considerably since that hearing, and he has taken on a more prominent role as a spokesperson on technology and AI topics beyond TikTok's core social media business.

Context: AI and Scientific Research

Chew's comments arrive as a number of technology executives and researchers have publicly discussed AI's potential role in accelerating scientific discovery. The field of AI-assisted research has seen notable activity in recent years, including DeepMind's AlphaFold system, which predicted the three-dimensional structure of proteins at scale and was awarded a share of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

ByeDance, TikTok's parent company, operates its own AI research division and has released a range of large language models and AI tools, though the company has maintained a lower public profile in AI compared to US competitors such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic.

Separately, Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar said this week that some AI researchers have begun smoking cigarettes on the expectation that AI will eventually cure cancer, a claim reported by Business Insider. That anecdote reflects a broader trend of elevated expectations among some AI practitioners regarding the technology's near-term medical and scientific capabilities.

What the Industry Is Watching

Chew's remarks did not include announcements of specific ByteDance or TikTok investments in scientific research, partnerships with academic institutions, or AI tools directed at the scientific community. The statement was forward-looking and based on his assessment of the current pace of AI development industry-wide.

The three-year timeline Chew outlined aligns with projections made by other technology leaders in recent months, though the specific fields he cited, particularly materials science and physics, have received less public attention than AI applications in drug discovery and genomics.

ByeDance has not issued a formal press release or follow-up statement elaborating on the scientific fields or AI capabilities Chew referenced in his Singapore remarks.

What Comes Next

Chew is scheduled to remain in Singapore through the conference, and ByteDance has not announced any forthcoming product launches or research publications tied to the scientific domains he mentioned.