The Ultimate Form of AI4S Isn't a Tool or Co-Author, But a Token-Issuing 'Science DAO'

From sailors to steam engine inventors, and now to having a "cyber co-pilot," every technological revolution has redefined the relationship between humans and tools. At today's AI4S session at ICML 2026, I saw the third act of the same script. On stage, scientists demonstrated how AI predicts protein structures, simulates climate, and designs catalysts, while investors in the audience were muttering: Can we issue a token for this?