[Reflecting 125 Years of the Nobel Prize Era]⑥Asking the Makers of the Nobel Prize

"There Is No Need for the Nobel Prize to Change"
Honoring the Founder’s Principles Upheld for 125 Years

Maximum of Three Laureates and 50 Years of Confidential Deliberations

Defining Individual Credit in an Era of Team Science and AI

Editor's Note125 years since the first awards in 1901: Science has shifted from being the domain of individual geniuses to an era where thousands of people and artificial intelligence (AI) collaborate in research. The Asia Business Daily is presenting a seven-part series on the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, exploring how the subject and methods of scientific discovery have changed, and to what extent the Nobel Prize has been able to reflect these transformations.

Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer of Noble Prize Outreach (NPO), is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily on the 20th at COEX, Seoul. Provided by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology

"The Nobel Prize does not need to change."

Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Nobel Prize Outreach (NPO), which is the Nobel Foundation's organization responsible for communicating the Nobel Prize and its laureates’ research achievements to the public, stated this on the 20th during an interview with The Asia Business Daily at 'Nobel Prize Dialogue Seoul 2026' held at COEX in Seoul, when asked what, if anything, the Nobel Prize should change after 125 years.

What Smith emphasized does not need to change was not the number of laureates allowed or the evaluation procedures, but rather the fundamental role of the Nobel Prize—honoring achievements that have contributed to humanity’s understanding of the world. He explained that even if the benefits of a discovery are not immediately apparent, the value of expanding human understanding remains unchanged.

Nevertheless, despite the changing methods of scientific discovery, the rules regarding a maximum of three laureates and confidentiality of review materials remain in place. Even in an era when discoveries are made by thousands working together, the maximum number of co-recipients for a prize is three. Even if AI is involved in research, it must still be determined who should be credited, and the review materials used to select laureates remain confidential for at least 50 years. While the original intent of the prize remains unchanged, how to reflect the reality of rapidly evolving science in the rules for selecting laureates remains an ongoing challenge.

The Will and Its Legacy, the Rules Set by the Charter

In 1895, Alfred Nobel left a will stating that his fortune should be used as prize money for achievements that have bestowed the greatest benefit to humanity. He also specified that the laureates' nationality should not be considered. These are the basic principles the Nobel Prize has maintained since its first awards in 1901.

Hanna Scherne, Secretary General of the Nobel Foundation, is answering questions from reporters on the 20th at COEX, Seoul. Provided by the National Academy of Science and Technology of Korea

Hanna Scherne, Secretary General of the Nobel Foundation, also stated in an interview on this day, "The Nobel Prize has endured through two world wars and numerous turbulent periods, but Alfred Nobel's intent to recognize achievements that have brought the greatest benefit to humanity has remained unchanged."

If the founding purpose determines the goal of the Nobel Prize, the foundation’s charter sets forth the rules to implement it. Article 4 of the Nobel Foundation’s charter stipulates that the prize money for a single award cannot be divided among more than three individuals. Article 10 mandates that recommendations and deliberations regarding nominations must remain confidential and that access to related materials by outsiders may be permitted only at the discretion of the awarding institution after at least 50 years have passed since the decision. Not all records become automatically public after 50 years.

The maximum of three laureates and the 50-year confidentiality rule are not provisions directly described in Nobel’s will, but rather regulations based on the Nobel Foundation’s charter. The charter also includes procedures for amendment. Therefore, the intention to honor the founder’s wishes does not mean that every rule of operation will remain unchanged forever.

"Selecting Laureates Is Like an Investigation"

Eva Olsson, Professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and juror for the Nobel Prize in Physics, described the challenges involved in selecting laureates by saying, "Identifying who conducted the original research is like an investigation." She further emphasized, "It is crucial to receive help from experts around the world and to find documentation that can substantiate the claim." This means that not only the selection of significant discoveries but also the verification of the very first contribution made toward the discovery is at the core of the selection process.

Eva Olsson, Professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and Nobel Prize in Physics juror, is answering reporters' questions at COEX in Seoul on the 20th. Courtesy of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology

Even when hundreds or thousands of people participate in joint research, the number of laureates is limited to three. Professor Olsson commented, "Often, only a few have conducted the original research even within large-scale projects. While I cannot guarantee how things will be handled in the future, for now, we adhere to the principle of awarding to a maximum of three individuals."

Regarding the rule that keeps review materials confidential for at least 50 years, Professor Olsson added, "If necessary, we can reevaluate existing rules, but for now, there is no reason to change the principle of 50 years of confidentiality."

The emergence of AI is also prompting changes in the way scientific contributions are assessed. Alison Noble, Professor at Oxford University and Vice President of the Royal Society of London, said in an interview with The Asia Business Daily on this day that, as collaboration with AI becomes more prevalent, the methods for evaluating researchers’ contributions must also change. She replied, "Yes. It is a new way of doing science, and perhaps a new kind of science altogether." She added, "We should consider how to report results from such research more transparently."

AI-generated image.

CSO Smith, having met around 350 Nobel laureates, cited a persistent quest for answers as the common characteristic he observed. He said, "They find the problem they are truly interested in and never let it go. They identify a question they really want the answer to and pursue it relentlessly to the end."

However, recognizing the value of a discovery from the outset was not always the case. CSO Smith explained, "Most laureates didn’t realize at the time that their discovery would become something fundamentally significant enough to merit a Nobel Prize. It often takes years, sometimes decades, for the true importance of research to be revealed."

What the Nobel Prize aims to honor is not the research methods of 125 years ago, but the founder’s vision of recognizing discoveries that expand humanity’s understanding. To whom—and based on what grounds—this vision is applied in the era of team science and AI remains a challenge for the future.

CSO Smith concluded, "Humanity will always need people who strive to understand the complexities of the world we live in. As long as the Nobel Prize continues to foster such inquiry and understanding, it will remain necessary for the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.