Michael Levitt: Scientific breakthroughs cannot occur without allowing young scientists to fail

Speaking about China's „AI Plus“ initiative, Nobel Prize-winning chemist Michael Levitt said that innovation depends on young scientists being given independence, responsibility and the freedom to make mistakes.

Levitt likened the process to children learning to walk. Scientific breakthroughs, he said, can only occur when scientists venture into the unknown, where failure is often inevitable.

Michael Levitt, who taught at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, for nearly eight years, also stressed the importance of fostering young talent at a time when the global scientific community is gradually ageing.

CMG