While optical tweezers have revolutionized light-driven manipulation, their force range, accessible length scales, and functional versatility remain limited. Inspired by natural transport phenomena such as wind and ocean currents, we harness light-induced heating, cooling, and temperature gradients to control matter. We have established a versatile, energy-efficient optothermal manipulation platform that leverages light-driven multiphysical fields for programmable control of the motion, interactions, structure, composition, and properties of matter across multiple length scales. Integrated with artificial intelligence, this platform becomes a self-driving engine for autonomous experimentation and accelerated scientific discovery.