Google DeepMind researchers win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Two researchers from Google's DeepMind have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on protein structure prediction using the AI model AlphaFold2. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper received half of the prize, while the other half went to David Baker from the University of Washington for computational protein design. The Academy highlighted AlphaFold2's impact, stating it has been utilized by over two million users globally, aiding in various scientific applications, including understanding antibiotic resistance and designing proteins.
- Two researchers from Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) DeepMind artificial intelligence research laboratory have split the Nobel Prize in chemistry, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday.
- Demis Hassabis, who is DeepMind's Chief Executive Officer, and John Jumper, were awarded half of the prize for their work in “protein structure prediction.”
- The other half went to University of Washington scientist David Baker for his work in “computational protein design.”
- The Academy praised Hassabis and Jumper for their work on the AI model, AlphaFold2, introduced in 2020. "With its help, they have been able to predict the structure of virtually all the 200 million proteins that researchers have identified," the Academy said in a statement. "Since their breakthrough, AlphaFold2 has been used by more than two million people from 190 countries. Among a myriad of scientific applications, researchers can now better understand antibiotic resistance and create images of enzymes that can decompose plastic. Life could not exist without proteins. That we can now predict protein structures and design our own proteins confers the greatest benefit to humankind."
- On Tuesday, the Academy awarded the Nobel Prize in physics to a team including former Google employee Geoffrey Hinton for their work in training artificial neural networks using physics.