Google Gives $20M to 12 Teams Using AI to Solve Disease

Scientists are about to move a lot faster on some of the world's biggest problems, thanks to artificial intelligence and a major investment in their work.

Google.org just awarded $20 million to twelve research teams using AI to accelerate breakthroughs in health, food security, and conservation. These aren't just data analysis projects. They're using AI to crack problems that have stumped scientists for generations.

At UW Medicine, researchers are mapping the 99% of human DNA that remains mysterious, searching for genetic clues to rare diseases. Meanwhile, a team in France is building an AI scanner that could detect deadly, drug-resistant bacteria in under an hour instead of days.

The fight against malaria is getting smarter too. Scientists at Uganda's Makerere University are using AI to predict how malaria parasites will evolve and develop drug resistance, giving doctors a head start on treatment strategies.

Food security is also getting a boost. The Sainsbury Laboratory created "Bifrost," an AI tool that predicts how plants fight off diseases just by reading their genetic code. This could help farmers grow crops that naturally resist pests and pathogens without heavy chemical use.

Even cow burps are getting the AI treatment. UC Berkeley researchers are studying cow stomach bacteria to find ways to reduce methane emissions from livestock, a surprising but significant source of greenhouse gases.

The Ripple Effect

What makes this fund special is its commitment to open science. Every team must share their data and tools publicly, meaning one breakthrough can spark dozens more. A conservation tool developed in Switzerland could help protect rainforests in Brazil. A disease detection method from France could save lives in rural hospitals worldwide.

The University of Liverpool is taking collaboration even further with their "Hive Mind" project, connecting robot labs, human scientists, and AI systems to discover new materials for capturing carbon from the atmosphere. It's science fiction becoming science fact.

Some teams are tackling mysteries we didn't even know existed. The Periodic Table of Food Initiative is mapping thousands of unknown molecules in our food that determine nutrition and flavor, potentially helping us design healthier diets from the ground up.

The Swiss Plasma Center is pooling fusion energy research from around the world, teaching AI systems to learn from every experiment and speed up the path to clean, limitless energy.

These twelve teams represent a shift in how science works. Problems that seemed impossible are now approachable. Experiments that took years now take months. The pace of discovery is finally catching up with the pace of global challenges.

Science has always been humanity's best tool for progress, and now that tool just got a serious upgrade.