There has been much speculation over how AI will help with healthcare, but some experts believe it can have a dramatic impact well within most people’s lifetimes.
Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind and a key figure in the development of AlphaFold, the groundbreaking AI system that predicts protein structures, recently made a bold prediction about the future of medicine. He believes AI could revolutionize healthcare to the point where, in 10-15 years, we might have “a real crack at solving all disease.” This ambitious goal is central to the mission of Isomorphic Labs, a company spun out of DeepMind and focused on using AI for drug discovery. Hassabis’s optimism stems from the success of AlphaFold, demonstrating the potential of what he calls “science at digital speed.”
“I think,” Hassabis stated, “maybe in the next 10-15 years we can actually have a real crack at solving all disease. That’s the mission of Isomorphic, and I think with AlphaFold we showed what the potential was to sort of do what I like to call science at digital speed.”
He continued, explaining the potential application of this approach to drug discovery: “And why couldn’t that also be applied to finding medicines?”
Looking further into the future, Hassabis painted a picture of dramatic transformation: “So my hope is, 10-15 years’ time, we’ll look back on the medicine we have today a bit like how we look back on medieval times and how we used to do medicine then.” He concluded, “And that will be, I think, the most incredible benefit we could imagine from AI.”
Hassabis’s statement is undeniably ambitious, but he should know what he’s talking about — he’s not only the CEO of Google Deepmind, but had also been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year for his work on protein folding. While “solving all disease” may sound like hyperbole, it reflects the potential of AI to accelerate scientific discovery at an unprecedented pace. AlphaFold’s success in protein folding, a problem that stumped scientists for decades, serves as a powerful proof of concept. The ability to rapidly predict protein structures has significant implications for understanding diseases and developing targeted therapies. Isomorphic Labs aims to leverage similar AI techniques to revolutionize drug discovery, potentially leading to faster development of more effective treatments.
However, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges. While AI can accelerate research, the biological complexity of disease is immense. Developing new drugs is a lengthy and costly process, often facing unexpected hurdles. Furthermore, testing out new drugs for their safety can take a long time before they’re ready for mass use. Despite these challenges, Hassabis’s vision offers a glimpse into a future where AI plays a pivotal role in transforming healthcare and potentially eradicating diseases that have plagued humanity for centuries.