Ten times faster is not 10 times better

Area of Science:

• Scientific research and innovation policy
• National science initiatives
• Technological advancement in science

Background:

• The Trump administration's approach to science funding is critiqued.
• A new bipartisan initiative, the American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP), has been proposed.
• ASAP aims to increase the speed of scientific progress in the US by 2030.

Discussion:

• ASAP focuses on five pillars: data, computing, artificial intelligence (AI), collaboration, and process improvement.
• The initiative's goal is to make US science "ten times faster by 2030."
• Concerns exist that rapid acceleration may worsen existing systemic issues in the research ecosystem.

Key Insights:

• Simply accelerating scientific processes may not be beneficial.
• The "move fast and break things" ethos, if applied to research, could be detrimental.
• Increased speed without addressing foundational problems risks damaging public trust and accessibility.

Outlook:

• Future scientific progress requires more than just increased speed.
• Addressing accessibility and public trust is crucial for a healthy research ecosystem.
• A balanced approach is needed to ensure innovation is both fast and effective.