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Hello, tech lovers! Today, we’re diving into an exciting breakthrough in biology powered by artificial intelligence.
FutureHouse, a nonprofit backed by Eric Schmidt, has launched a new AI tool called Finch that aims to accelerate discoveries in biology, especially in data-driven research. Just a week after revealing its API and platform, the organization introduced Finch to analyze biological data—mainly research papers—and generate insightful figures and results.
Finch operates by accepting research data and prompts, such as inquiries about molecular causes of cancer, then runs code and produces visual outputs. CEO Sam Rodriques describes it as a ‘first-year grad student’ that can do in minutes what would normally take much longer. The tool even performs targeted analyses like differential gene expression, identifying upregulated genes and pathways, with impressive speed.
Many in the biotech and AI sectors believe such tools could someday automate significant parts of scientific work. However, critics point out that AI systems like Finch still make mistakes and haven’t yet made groundbreaking discoveries in biology. Companies like Exscientia and BenevolentAI have faced setbacks with AI-designed drugs, showing that this field still has hurdles to overcome.
Despite the challenges, the market for AI in drug discovery is booming, expected to grow from $65.88 billion in 2024 to over $160 billion by 2034. While promising, AI tools like Finch are still in early stages, with ongoing efforts to improve their accuracy—FutureHouse is recruiting biologists to validate its predictions during the beta phase.
Many industry leaders, including OpenAI and Anthropic, predict AI will revolutionize science and healthcare, but actual breakthroughs are yet to be seen. Finch represents an exciting step, highlighting both the potential and current limits of AI in biology.
