One signal

Sam Altman says he hopes AI will help produce a candidate treatment for a major disease within the next few years. That is a forecast from the OpenAI chief executive, not a treatment announcement or a proven timetable.

In an interview with Matthew Berman, Altman said any candidate would still need to pass through the FDA process. He also predicted AI could help with discoveries in biology, materials science and energy, while saying he is especially excited by the prospect of a major physics discovery. The useful distinction is between AI pointing researchers towards a promising result and that result becoming a safe, tested medicine.

Discuss: Which should matter more when judging AI’s scientific impact: the discoveries it helps make, or how quickly they reach people?

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