Google Unveils Open AI Models for Drug Discovery

Google has announced a series of AI products and features for the healthcare sector, including “open” models for drug discovery named TxGemma, reports TechCrunch.

The neural networks will be released at the end of March as part of the Health AI Developer Foundations program. They are capable of understanding “plain text” and the structures of various “therapeutic entities,” including chemicals, molecules, and proteins.

“Developing therapeutic drugs from concept to approved application is a long and costly process, so we are working with the broader research community to find new ways to make the procedure more efficient. Researchers can ask TxGemma questions to help predict important properties of potential new therapies, such as how safe or effective they are,” wrote Google’s Director of Health, Karen DeSalvo, in a statement.

Among other AI solutions in healthcare are enhanced reviews in Google Search. Artificial intelligence and ranking systems expand the “knowledge panel” for thousands of health-related topics and add questions in Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese on mobile devices. 

The What People Suggest feature has also been launched on smartphones in the US. It highlights content from users with similar medical experiences. For instance, if someone asks about common exercises for arthritis, the new tool will use AI to gather posts from various forums. 

“While people come to Search to find reliable medical information from experts, they also value hearing from others with similar experiences. Using AI, we can organize different perspectives from online discussions into easy-to-understand topics, helping you quickly grasp what people are talking about,” commented DeSalvo.

Google has launched new API for medical records on its Health Connect platform. They help collect data from healthcare providers and allow viewing information across various applications. 

Additionally, the corporation has added a pulse loss detection feature to the Pixel Watch 3. It will automatically call emergency services if the device’s owner does not respond to the alert. 

Earlier in March, Google trained its AI assistant Gemini to analyze and consider a user’s search history to provide more relevant responses.