DeepMind is using AI for protein folding breakthroughs

Protein folding could help diagnose and treat some of the worst diseases, and DeepMind believes AI can speed up that process. Conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and cystic fibrosis are suspected to be caused by misfolded proteins. Being able to predict a protein’s shape enables a greater understanding of its role within the body. Previous techniques used for determining the shapes of proteins – such as cryo-electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and...

Google improves AI model training by open-sourcing framework

Google is helping researchers seeking to train AI models by open-sourcing a reinforcement learning framework used for its own projects. Reinforcement learning has been used for some of the most impressive AI demonstrations thus far, including those which beat human professional gamers at Alpha Go and Dota 2. Google subsidiary DeepMind uses it for its Deep Q-Network (DQN). Building a reinforcement learning framework takes both time and significant resources. For AI to reach its full potential,...

Virtually Brainy: AI wires itself to navigate like mammals

Researchers have built an AI with virtual brain cells that wires itself to navigate an environment much like mammals do in nature. Fully understanding the ‘internal GPS’ used by humans and other mammals to navigate from point A to B has eluded neuroscientists for decades. By analysing a new AI, which developed ‘grid cells’ similar to our brains, researchers believe we could be closer than ever. The new AI was designed by a team from Google DeepMind and University College London to...

Health AIs should be a strategic priority

health ai uk deepmind google

A UK government-commissioned industrial strategy review of the life sciences sector has identified health-based AI as a growth opportunity.

The UK is a leader in artificial intelligence while also benefiting from a wealth of patient data as part of its National Health Service. Both of these factors make the UK a potential hotbed for the development of health-focused AI. “AI is likely to be used widely in healthcare and it should be the...