Much of the recent AI hype train has centered around mesmerizing digital content and the potentially dangerous ways it could disrupt society. But on the brighter side, an update to Google’s AlphaFold software could lead to new disease research and treatment breakthroughs.

For more on Google's everyday AI tools, be sure to read CNET's hands-on reviews of Gemini and ImageFX, along with reviews of chatbots including Claude, Adobe Firefly and OpenAI's

Google Deepmind has unveiled the third major version of its "AlphaFold" artificial intelligence model, designed to help scientists design drugs and target disease more effectively. In 2020, the company made a significant advance in molecular biology by using AI to successfully predict the behaviour of microscopic proteins.

The interactions of proteins—from enzymes crucial to the human metabolism, to the antibodies that fight infectious diseases—with other molecules is key to drug discovery and development. DeepMind said the findings,

R esearchers at Google DeepMind have developed AlphaFold 3, an AI model that can predict the structure of and interactions between biological molecules including proteins, DNA and

AlphaFold breakthrough may bolster work in fields from antibiotics and cancer therapy to resilient crops

Google DeepMind has unveiled an artificial intelligence model of life’s building blocks and their interactions within cells, boosting efforts to unlock secrets of disease and find treatments for conditions such as cancer.