AI was the hottest ticket in town for predictions during the pandemic. Highly sensitive and specific in identifying objects, quick to summarise information, and consistent in producing results, it seemed to be a panacea for our medical research troubles. However, COVID-19 also exposed the limitations of modelling. Computer models for virus spread are either very complex or, conversely, simplified to be practical on available computers.
The truth, as ever, is somewhere in the middle: while it’s not a solution in itself, AI can assist in diagnosis, treatment, prediction, and drug and treatment discovery, and can increase human ability to fight this and future pandemics.
Long before AI technology evolved, drug discovery and development was the work of medicinal chemists working together in a laboratory, testing and validating their syntheses. The process was long, expensive and slow; estimates are US$2.6 billion and 10 years on average for a new drug.
