Russian Scientists Predict Rapid AI Adoption in Chemistry and Industry in 2026
Russian researchers say artificial intelligence is shifting from a standalone technology to a universal scientific tool, with chemistry set to become one of the fastest‑transforming fields in 2026.
Russian scientists expect artificial intelligence to play a defining role in chemistry and industrial materials research in 2026. Academician Valentin Ananikov of the Russian Academy of Sciences shared this forecast at the conference 'Artificial Intelligence in Chemistry and Materials Science,' held at the Institute of Organic Chemistry.
According to Ananikov, 2025 marked the moment when AI moved beyond its status as a single technology and became a universal instrument for solving applied scientific problems.
He outlined three major trends that will shape the coming year: 'AI‑chemization,' when researchers begin embedding intelligent tools into scientific projects and grant initiatives; 'AI‑impactization,' the use of machine intelligence to strengthen the quality and depth of scientific publications; and 'AI‑drive,' the rapid adoption of digital solutions across practical work and industrial environments.
Ananikov emphasized that neural‑network systems can help extract value from previously unused experimental data. Already today, he noted, AI has improved raw‑signal analysis by a factor of ten and accelerated literature‑data processing by roughly 2,000 times. He believes AI’s influence on chemical science will grow even stronger in the years ahead.
