AI & drug discovery: A biotech CEO, a scientist, and a venture capitalist separate hype from reality

Artificial intelligence is a rapidly improving technology. But its progress in drug development faces an increasingly urgent threat: An unending stream of overheated marketing.

To read of AI’s feats in press releases is to learn of a miracle product on the verge of unraveling biology’s most enduring secrets. It can map molecules and accurately predict how they fit together on computer screens. All you need to get to a cure — as they say in infomercials — is act now!

“I am very worried about the hype,” said Daphne Koller, chief executive of the machine learning drug discovery company Insitro, said during STAT’s Breakthrough West Summit in San Francisco last week. “People think (the breakthrough) is going to happen tomorrow.”

STAT+ Exclusive Story

Already have an account? Log in

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

Unlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.

Already have an account? Log in

Already have an account? Log in

Individual plans

Group plans

Monthly

$39

Totals $468 per year

$39/month Get Started

Totals $468 per year

Starter

$30

for 3 months, then $39/month

$30 for 3 months Get Started

Then $39/month

Annual

$399

Save 15%

$399/year Get Started

Save 15%

11+ Users

Custom

Savings start at 25%!

Request A Quote Request A Quote

Savings start at 25%!

2-10 Users

$300

Annually per user

$300/year Get Started

$300 Annually per user

View All Plans

Get unlimited access to award-winning journalism and exclusive events.

Subscribe

Log In