POI FEB RAS at EEF 2026: AI as a Scientist's Assistant
Vladivostok has wrapped up the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF 2026), which has traditionally become the main platform for discussing the strategic development of the Far East and expanding international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the forum brought together thousands of delegates from dozens of countries. As part of its extensive business and youth agenda, experts paid significant attention to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into science and education.
One of the key events of the youth track, "EEF Junior", was the panel discussion titled "When Answers are Available to Everyone: What and How to Learn in the Age of AI," organized with the support of the SPIEF Academy. Alexander N. Charkin (PhD in Geology and Mineralogy), Acting Director of the Il’ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (POI FEB RAS), served as an expert at the session.
The discussion participants – leading scientists, IT industry representatives, and communications experts – debated a fundamental shift in the knowledge acquisition system. In an era when generative neural networks can produce ready-made analytical reports, code, and texts in seconds, the key task of modern education is to develop crucial competencies: critical thinking, data verification, argumentation, and the ability to formulate non-standard tasks.
"Today, artificial intelligence is not a replacement for the human mind, but a powerful assistant," the session participants noted. For modern science, including oceanography, AI integration opens up tremendous opportunities. Neural networks are actively being deployed in fundamental research: from machine vision for deep-sea vehicles to processing massive satellite datasets for climate modeling. The main challenge for the new generation of young scientists is to learn how to harness the potential of AI as a tool for making original scientific breakthroughs.
