AlphaFold, developed by DeepMind, has revolutionized biology by accurately predicting protein structures, earning a Nobel Prize and expanding into DNA, RNA, and drug interactions, with ongoing advancements aimed at understanding cellular systems and improving medicine.
AI is significantly advancing scientific research by enabling breakthroughs in protein structure prediction, brain mapping, materials science, climate forecasting, and fundamental physics, while also paving the way for autonomous laboratories and AI-driven hypothesis generation, despite some challenges in interpretability and understanding.
In 2024, three major AI trends to watch include the rise of small language models (SLMs) that are more accessible and powerful, the development of multimodal AI that can process various data types, and the increasing use of AI in scientific research to address global challenges such as climate change, energy crises, and diseases. These trends are expected to make AI more integrated into everyday technologies and help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.