In this lecture, I will present our study on the principles of AIE^[1] and the horizons of materials science. I was fortunate to come across a new AIEgen, 9,10-bis(dialkylamino)anthracene. In studying this photophysical process, I was able to understand the following principles of AIE. “The AIE phenomenon requires control of the non-radiative decay (deactivation) pathway, that is, controlling the conical intersection (CI) on the potential energy surface enables the formation of fluorescent molecules (CI high) and non-fluorescent (CI low) molecules separately.” Then, based on this principle, I designed a new AIEgen called bridged stilbene. These AIEgens have unique properties and have been applied beyond AIE to the development of advanced materials.