Alex Karnal

In 1997, Deep Blue defeated the world chess champion. In 2016, AlphaGo’s Move 37 showed AI could generate creative strategies no human had ever conceived. Now, in 2026, we are witnessing the equivalent moment for all of science. Companies like Lila Sciences are building AI systems that autonomously perform the scientific method (generating hypotheses, designing experiments, running physical labs, and iterating) at superhuman speed and scale.

Shell's Pearl GTL plant took 40 years and $19 billion to deliver ROI — a timeline oil and gas can no longer afford. This piece explores how Lila Sciences' technology is compressing R&D cycles from decades to months through autonomous, lab-based experimentation.