John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorFebruary 3, 20255 Min ReadPanther Media GmbH via Alamy Stock PhotoLike the industrial revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, today's emerging bio revolution is based on a convergence of technologies, including computing, automation, and perhaps most critically, artificial intelligence.Both artificial intelligence and biotech are exponential technologies, says Mike Bechtel, Deloitte Consulting's chief futurist, in an email interview. "The convergence of AI and biotech creates a double exponential field," he states. "Combined AI-fueled biotech has the ability to disrupt the drug discovery process, accelerate clinical trials, and better predict health outcomes for billions of people."Multiple ApplicationsAI is driving the bio revolution, and we're seeing that impact across several key areas, says Sid Rao, CEO and co-founder of scientific computing services provider Positron Networks. AI is a game-changer, he states via email. "AI is being used to automate the creation of personalized agents for curing diseases." He points to mRNA vaccines as an example. "When a patients cancer cells are sequenced, AI models [can] design the specific mRNA agents to target that patients tumor cells," Rao says. "Were talking about medicine tailor-made for individuals, made possible by AI."Rao notes that AI is also transforming drug discovery. "It's determining which molecules can act as catalysts for critical biological pathways, identifying potential drug targets, or optimizing clinical trials," he says. "With AI, we can predict patient responses or even simulate trial outcomes before they ever happen."Related:Bechtel observes that AlphaFold, AI software developed by DeepMind, an Alphabet subsidiary, performs predictions of protein structure and "is saving trillions in drug research costs and yielding new breakthroughs with digital twins, allowing advanced protein structure prediction and design prior to physical synthesis."Other potential applications identified by Bechtel include:Genome analysis: Genome sequencing costs have dropped from $14 million to about $1,000.Clinical trials: InClinico is achieving 80% accuracy in predicting phase two and three trial successes, leading to more efficient trial processes. The firm utilizes massive amounts of data related to targets, diseases, clinical trials, and even scientists involved with the study at the preclinical and clinical stages.Development speed and success: Pharmaceutical manufacturers leveraging AI have reduced drug development time by 40% and decreased drug failure rates by 70% through AI simulations and integrated processes.Related:Predictive health: AI-powered analyses of health metrics can detect diseases before symptoms appear.While emerging technologies can speed research while reducing costs, Bechtel notes that a growing number of current and potential adopters are starting to realize that AI can also help them perform current tasks better and more efficiently. "This elevation from efficiency to effectiveness stands to radically re-engineer historically tedious and time-consuming processes."Bechtel points to genetic sequencing and drug development as examples. "Both have historically required scarce specialized skills and expensive brute-force solutions," he explains. "Given AI's particular facility with pattern recognition and simulation, we're accelerating today's techniques and beginning to generate tomorrow's altogether new approaches."Risky BusinessAI-fueled biotech holds incredible promise for people, products, and the planet, but there are inherent risks that we need to be mindful, Bechtel says. Consider, for example, CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Its ability to genetically modify human embryos could one day eliminate inherited diseases, but it also raises serious ethical questions. The idea of "designer babies" and the unintended consequences that could be passed down through generations is something we have to approach with extreme caution. "We need ethical, perhaps even global, frameworks to guide how we might best navigate these breakthroughs."Related:The risks are many, says Tad Roselund, managing director and senior partner with the Boston Consulting Group. "For example, unequal distribution of benefits is a potentially major issue and particularly important here given the fact that we are dealing directly with things like extending lifespans, increasing resistance to diseases," he observes in an online interview.Leaving aside the potential of intentional misuse, companies must put the right governance, policies, guardrails, and controls in place, Roselund says. "Regulators' expectations regarding this are clear, even if in many jurisdictions the details are still to be determined."There are also safety implications for both individuals as well as society as a whole, Roselund warns. "These technologies are modifying extremely complex and interconnected systems," he notes, adding that the impact of an unintended failure could be significant. "This risk is exacerbated by the pace of development."Looking ForwardRao predicts that the bio revolution will only achieve its full, transformative potential when every biologist has access to the knowledge, the infrastructure, the data, and the tools required to leverage AI. "When we close this gap -- and we will -- were talking about real, lasting benefits to society at large."About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports