DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and John Jumper scoop Nobel Prize in Chemistry for AlphaFold
TechCrunchOCT 2024
AI Pioneers Win Nobel Prize for Protein Breakthroughs
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The Spin
Narrative A
While some may be skeptical of what appears to be computer scientists and biologists winning a Nobel Prize in chemistry, such category mixing has occurred before. This year's wave of AI-related Nobel winners is also a testament to the broad scope of machine learning, a technology capable of solving human health problems at the microscopic level.
Narrative B
Besides the fact that AI is blurring the lines of what constitues a Nobel Prize worthy invention, its growing use in medicine is what's really startling. As smaller companies and lesser-known researchers get left behind, AI is helping Big Pharma get more rich and powerful. Science should be about the best and brightest, not about profits or shiny new toys.