AI in Drug Discovery - A Practical View From the Trenches
It has never been my intent to use this blog as a personal soapbox, but I feel the need to respond to a recent article on AI in drug discovery. A recent viewpoint by Allan Jordan in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters suggests that we are nearing the zenith of the hype curve for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in drug discovery and that this hype will be followed by an inevitable period of disillusionment. Jordan goes on to discuss the hype created around computer-aided drug design and draws parallels to current work to incorporate AI technologies in drug discovery. While the author does make some reasonable points, he fails to highlight specific problems or to define what he means by AI. This is understandable. While the term AI is used frequently, most available definitions are still unclear. Wikipedia defines AI as “ intelligence demonstrated by machines", not a particularly helpful phrase. We wouldn’t consider a person who can walk around a room without bumping into