Momentum is building rapidly in materials research, discovery, and next-generation innovation.
Consider a few signals:
- AI-native materials startups such as Lila Sciences, CuspAI, and Radical AI have quietly raised more than $1B to build “self-driving labs” that search for new molecules and chemistries.
- Microsoft is productizing chemistry and materials discovery through Azure Quantum Elements, and Nvidia is helping fund the broader ecosystem.
- President Trump’s “Genesis Mission” executive order is directing the Department of Energy and other agencies to build AI-first discovery platforms focused on energy, critical materials, semiconductors, and defense—work that will increasingly translate into new materials R&D.
At first glance, this may seem way far removed from retail or fashion.
I would argue it is precisely the kind of shift product development teams should be tracking.
A major reason: PFAS…you will know these better as so-called “forever chemicals.”
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are widely valued for performance attributes like water repellency. You’ll find them in textiles, apparel, footwear and so on. But their persistence in the environment is creating risk and a ton of publicity for all the wrong reasons.
The risks are not only ecological, but financial. Companies such as 3M and DuPont have faced PFAS-related settlements totaling more than $10B. Legislative pressure is also increasing, with laws targeting intentionally added PFAS in apparel and consumer textiles.
As a former chemist, I’m often asked: what are the viable alternatives here? What are the materials with a better environmental profile that still deliver comparable performance and durability?
For now, my honest answer is: I don’t know.
Until recently, I hadn’t been paying close attention to anything chemistry and materials innovation. Well, at least not since we started writing The Material Life.
But given the advances described above, credible answers may arrive sooner than many expect.
Much of this AI-driven discovery focus will understandably center on energy, defense and other prominent areas.
Regardless, I expect a trickle-down effect into fashion. And generating PFAS alternatives will not be the sole reason as to why.
New demands for performance and aesthetics across the industry will drive the need for new material innovation.
The challenge is what comes next.
AI-driven discovery will generate hundred or thousands of candidate materials: a kind of materials “primordial soup.” This is something that is already being seen in AI-driven drug discovery.
So, how will we identify what is truly useful? And if something looks promising, can it scale or are we repeating a familiar cycle of next-gen material hype (think mushroom leather, for instance) that fails at commercialization?
The differentiator will be operationalization. Once suitable alternatives emerge, making them real will require process innovation, investment, and disciplined decision-making. This is where human judgment and critical thinking must balance out the advances in technology.
I truly believe this is an area that needs attention.
This is where brands, vendors, researchers, and other adjacent partners will need to converge.
Because materials are everything.
And everything is made of materials.
