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Google DeepMind’s latest medical breakthrough borrows a trick from AI image generators

Much of the recent AI hype train has centered around mesmerizing digital content and the potentially dangerous ways it could disrupt society. But on the brighter side, an update to Google’s AlphaFold software could lead to new disease research and treatment breakthroughs.

Machine learning streamlines much of that process by using patterns recognized from its training (often imperceptible to humans and our standard instruments) to predict protein shapes based on their amino acids. One prominent researcher who makes similar software, University of Washington professor David Baker, expressed disappointment to Wired that Google chose that route. As for what’s next, Google says “Isomorphic Labs is already collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to apply it to real-world drug design challenges and, ultimately, develop new life-changing treatments for patients.”

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