​Abstract

​AI inspires hope to make drug development faster and cheaper, but also raises fears of bringing black-box algorithms close to human health. While AI-native biotechs, their pharma partners, and excitable media hail the age of “AI-developed drugs,” it remains challenging to gauge the true potential of the technology, as results are mixed: some clinical successes, but also setbacks, such as recent cuts at BenevolentAI or the merger of Exscientia and Recursion.

​In this talk, we will look beyond the hype and disentangle which AI applications promise immediate benefits (e.g. by automating mundane work), and which are the slower-burning but more transformative use cases, allowing scientists to explore the vast, untapped space of chemical and biological molecules and unknown disease-causing variants – coming closer to the ultimate goal of making drug development more creative, more personalized, and more successful.

​Speaker bio

​Dr. Louise von Stechow is a biotech expert and strategy consultant (Zukunftsinstitut, The Healthonauts). She advises the pharmaceutical and biotech industries on the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence in drug development. Through her podcast We're doomed we're saved - The Biorevolution Podcast, as a keynote speaker, science writer, and lecturer, she explores the role of revolutionary biotechnologies and their impact on business and society.

​Agenda

• ​18:30 Doors open

• ​19:00 Talk starts

• ​19:45 Drinks and networking

​About the idalab Seminar

​In our bi-monthly idalab Seminar series, we invite practitioners, entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers to reflect on their work at the intersection of AI, Life Science, and Healthcare.