Seventy-one Nobel laureates and 600 early-career scientists gathered in Lindau, Germany, this week to warn that science and democracy face growing threats from authoritarianism and political interference in research.
Freedom of science no longer guaranteed
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered the opening address at the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. He stated that politics relies on science as both a cautionary voice and a corrective, particularly amid rapid technological change. This relationship, he emphasized, depends on scientific freedom and open democracy.
Steinmeier told attendees from 88 countries that the belief in science and democracy as interdependent has been widely accepted for decades. That belief, he said, is now being challenged. Authoritarianism is gaining traction in many regions, with opponents of open societies seeking to suppress dissent through censorship and harassment.
While such restrictions have long existed under dictatorships, Steinmeier noted their spread into Western democracies. He warned that freedom is no longer assured, even within universities and research institutions. In the U.S., where academic freedom was once a model, political pressure on researchers has increased, along with harassment of institutions resisting political directives and arbitrary funding cuts for entire fields.
“Wherever research and teaching independence is systematically undermined, democracy itself is at risk,” Steinmeier said. “Neither science nor democracy can afford indifference. We must defend freedom with determination.”
Related: Sustainability Ratings Remain Top Ranked for Now
Climate denial and vaccine skepticism as warning signs
The president also addressed growing hostility toward science in Germany, especially on climate change and vaccinations. He observed that those who question scientific findings often reject democratic institutions as well. This pattern, he suggested, reflects a broader decline in trust in both science and governance.
The Lindau meeting, established in 1951 to restore trust in science after World War II, has traditionally provided a platform for Nobel laureates to address global challenges. This year’s event focused heavily on nuclear disarmament and the risks of artificial intelligence. Participants signed the Mainau Declaration against nuclear arms in both 1955 and 2024, a document Steinmeier described as still urgently relevant.
The declaration, backed by 129 Nobel laureates and nuclear security experts, calls for renewed arms control and human oversight of nuclear weapons. Progress, however, has stalled. David Gross, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004, told a panel that decades of arms control treaties have collapsed or been abandoned.
Gross said that the United States and Russia seem to have no intention to renew the New START arms control agreement.
AI and nuclear weapons: a dangerous combination
William Moerner, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014, highlighted concerns about AI and nuclear weapons. He cited war-gaming simulations where AI systems consistently escalated conflicts toward nuclear strikes. “AI lacks values,” he warned. “If it makes a mistake, accountability becomes unclear.”
Related: Language Learning: How to Master Everyday French?
Moerner stressed that nuclear decisions must always involve human oversight, preferably with at least two people. As AI integrates further into military systems, this principle is increasingly at risk. Brian Schmidt, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011, urged young scientists to educate themselves on nuclear tensions and mobilize public interest, similar to past climate activism.
Sebastian Philippe, a nuclear security specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, moderated the disarmament panel. He announced that over 20 scientists will present the first United Nations report on the environmental and human impacts of nuclear war since the Cold War to the UN General Assembly in 2027. The report, he said, serves as a reminder that even non-nuclear states will face catastrophic consequences if such weapons are used.
Philippe emphasized the need for action on multiple fronts. He pointed to civil disobedience and coalition-building as essential tools, drawing parallels to the activism of scientists like Carl Sagan, who protested nuclear testing. The most significant advances in science diplomacy, he suggested, may come from countries in the Global South—nations without nuclear arsenals but most vulnerable to their effects.
The next Nobel Laureate Assembly will convene at the Vatican in mid-July. Discussions with Pope Leo XIV will center on ethical concerns around AI and nuclear risks. For now, the message from Lindau remains clear: science cannot remain neutral when its freedom—and democracy’s—are under threat.
