Artificial Intelligence could transform human health and potentially eliminate all diseases within the next decade, says Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind. In a recent interview, Hassabis highlighted the transformative potential of AI in drug discovery, protein mapping, and personalized medicine.
Traditionally, it takes over a decade and billions of dollars to develop a single drug. With AI, that timeline could be shortened dramatically—from years to mere months or even weeks. DeepMind’s AlphaFold AI model has already demonstrated this potential by predicting over 200 million protein structures, a feat that would have taken scientists centuries using conventional methods.
Hassabis emphasized that proteins are the foundation of life and central to understanding diseases and developing treatments. With AI’s ability to quickly model these structures, the biotech landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift.
However, Hassabis also warned about the dual-edged nature of AI. As these systems grow more powerful and autonomous, risks of misuse increase, highlighting the need for human oversight and ethical guardrails.
As companies like Verge Genomics and Insitro push the boundaries in neurodegenerative disease research, the dream of a disease-free world may not be science fiction—but an AI-driven reality.