UK investment ‘urgently needed’ in AI to boost drug discovery

Scientists urge government to increase investment in machine learning technology to tackle rare diseases

The UK government should “urgently” invest in machine learning to help tackle future health challenges following the pandemic, the Institution of Engineering and Technology has said.

According to the IET’s new report, Artificial Intelligence for drug discovery, AI has played a “fundamental role” in helping scientists to rapidly identify drugs to treat Covid-19 patients over the past 18 months, including the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.