Sustaining the trustworthiness of science

Sir Peter Gluckman, Director of Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures and President of the International Science Council, has delivered an address on what’s required to sustain the trustworthiness of science in a rapidly changing world.

Speaking at the International Conference on Science and Technology for Sustainability in Tokyo, Japan on 13 July, Sir Peter said that while surveys suggest there is no broad crisis of trust in science, there is no room for complacency.

Sir Peter noted that while those who distrust science may be a minority, they can still have a disproportionate influence on public opinion and policy, particularly when scientific evidence intersects with ideology, commercial interests or contested values.

He argued that science earns public confidence not only through the evidence it produces, but through the integrity of the systems, norms and practices used to produce, review and communicate scientific knowledge.

The address highlighted several pressures now facing science, including AI-generated research, overloaded peer review systems, predatory journals, poor science communication, and the growing role of private-sector science and technology development.

Read the full address