Accelerating scientific discovery with AI - Joëlle Barral, Senior Director, Research Google DeepMind

Joëlle Barral, Senior Director, Research at Google DeepMind, explains how Google DeepMind is advancing scientific discovery through responsible artificial intelligence. It highlights how foundational breakthroughs—from AlphaGo to state-of-the-art large language models—have enabled transformative progress across multiple domains. A central focus is AlphaFold, whose accurate protein structure predictions are catalyzing innovations in areas such as drug discovery, addressing neglected diseases, combating plastic pollution, and mitigating antibiotic resistance. The talk also outlines emerging AI systems that support healthcare delivery, therapeutic development, and biomedical research, including medical reasoning models, single-cell analysis tools, and diagnostic assistants. Beyond the life sciences, the presentation highlights AI-driven advancements in physics, including enhanced gravitational-wave detection and plasma control for fusion energy. It further introduces robotics models capable of transferring skills across diverse embodiments and environmental tasks. Finally, applications in sustainability—such as next-generation weather forecasting and global ecosystem mapping—illustrate how AI can help address planetary-scale challenges. Together, these developments point toward a future in which AI accelerates discovery, enhances human capabilities, and contributes to a more sustainable and healthier world. 🔔Don’t forget to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@dassaultsystemes 🔔Dassault Systèmes official website: https://www.3ds.com/ 🔔Learn more about what Dassault Systèmes do: https://www.3ds.com/about/company/what-is-dassault-systemes 🤳 Follow us! 🤳 💡LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dassaultsystemes 💡TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dassaultsystemes 💡Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dassaultsystemes/ 💡X: https://twitter.com/Dassault3DS 💡Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DassaultSystemes #3DS #3DEXPERIENCE #DassaultSystèmes #AI #Innovation #GoogleDeepMind #AlphaGo