Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Argonne is a U.S. Department of Energy research center with a long history of advancing science through high-performance computing and large-scale scientific infrastructure. Rick Stevens, Argonne’s Associate Laboratory Director for Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, leads national efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into science and energy research.
As scientific challenges grow more complex, researchers are looking for ways to reduce the time it takes to move from idea to experiment to prototype. Traditional methods of discovery are often too slow to keep up with fast-evolving problems in areas like materials design, drug development, and energy systems. Researchers need tools that help them not only analyze data, but also generate new ideas and ask better questions.
In this interview, Rick Stevens explains how Argonne is pairing AI with advanced scientific tools—such as the upgraded Advanced Photon Source—to accelerate discovery. With AI models that can generate code, suggest hypotheses, or propose new materials based on user-defined goals, researchers can test more ideas, more quickly. These tools are also essential for managing the scale of data coming from modern instruments, where human-led workflows alone are no longer sufficient.
Stevens emphasizes that AI is not a shortcut to answers, but a powerful partner in scientific thinking. By helping researchers form better questions and explore broader possibilities, AI can play a key role in addressing long-term goals—from energy innovation to global challenges like poverty.
Find out more about Argonne’s work at the intersection of AI and science ►► anl.gov/ai
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ABOUT ARGONNE Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF SCIENCE The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the Office of Science website.
Argonne is a U.S. Department of Energy research center with a long history of advancing science through high-performance computing and large-scale scientific infrastructure. Rick Stevens, Argonne’s Associate Laboratory Director for Computing, Environment and Life Sciences, leads national efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into science and energy research.
As scientific challenges grow more complex, researchers are looking for ways to reduce the time it takes to move from idea to experiment to prototype. Traditional methods of discovery are often too slow to keep up with fast-evolving problems in areas like materials design, drug development, and energy systems. Researchers need tools that help them not only analyze data, but also generate new ideas and ask better questions.
In this interview, Rick Stevens explains how Argonne is pairing AI with advanced scientific tools—such as the upgraded Advanced Photon Source—to accelerate discovery. With AI models that can generate code, suggest hypotheses, or propose new materials based on user-defined goals, researchers can test more ideas, more quickly. These tools are also essential for managing the scale of data coming from modern instruments, where human-led workflows alone are no longer sufficient.
Stevens emphasizes that AI is not a shortcut to answers, but a powerful partner in scientific thinking. By helping researchers form better questions and explore broader possibilities, AI can play a key role in addressing long-term goals—from energy innovation to global challenges like poverty.
Find out more about Argonne’s work at the intersection of AI and science ►► anl.gov/ai
Still haven't subscribed to Argonne National Laboratory on YouTube? ►► bit.ly/2Vyzwvm
Join us on Facebook bit.ly/ArgonneFacebook
Follow us on Twitter bit.ly/ArgonneTwitter
We’re on Instagram! bit.ly/ArgonneInstagram
Connect with us on LinkedIn bit.ly/ArgonneLinkedIn
ABOUT ARGONNE Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF SCIENCE The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the Office of Science website.
