The "standard size AI"

In late April, I?had the honor of being?invited to represent the United States and the state of Oregon as an AI solution partner at an international biotech convention in Switzerland.?Thanks to Business Oregon (who sponsored the trip), it was a new experience for me to engage in such a confluence of knowledge and practices in AI and Biotech.?

However, one thing that immediately left a deep impression on me was the somewhat diverging culture of coffee. In the cozy cafes of Europe, ordering a coffee is a delightfully uncomplicated affair. You won't find a menu with an array of flavors and combinations. Instead,?you'll be served with something far?simpler: an espresso, cappuccino, or macchiato.?

Peeling back the layers, this simplicity was not about convenience; it was about?valuing tradition and the wisdom of the ages.?In Europe, coffee isn't just a beverage; it's a ritual steeped in history and etiquette. It is also a reflection of broader attitudes towards AI and innovation.

Back home, where Americans are known to thrive in scrappiness and endless personalization, every coffee shop happily greets you with a dazzling array of choices. Want a 20-oz cup? How about a flavored latte, a seasonal blend, or a cold brew infused with nitrogen??

For us, coffee isn't just a beverage; it's a canvas for creativity and expression. In contrast, Americans value customizability, new experiences, and the thrill of trying something different.?

During my time in Basel, this cultural difference permeated many aspects of life. If we focus back on AI in biotech, both Europeans and Americans seek to leverage AI in three ways under the context of Bioscience/Biotech: prediction, discovery, and research efficiency.?

Americans are eager to be the first in breakthroughs. To companies founded or funded by United States investors, AI represents an opportunity for groundbreaking advancements in technology and business. A few notable concepts I've come across include:

• Predictive analytics for clinical trial outcomes that aim to improve the efficiency and success rates of clinical trials offer a high ROI, as they can drastically reduce development costs and timelines.
• AI-enhanced market entry strategy tool that can potentially generate higher sales and faster market penetration using LLM and traditional NLP methods.
• AI offers access to new biology (functional genomics insights) and improved or novel chemistry. The AI-fueled small molecule drug discovery pipeline is estimated to expand by almost 40% annually.

Meanwhile, there is also an unmistakable appetite for AI innovation in Europe. However, Europeans are more comfortable leaning on proven solutions and past success. Compared to the United States, Europe focuses significantly more on data privacy, ethical implications, and potential social impacts.?This?leads them to invest efforts in improving research and?getting better at?meeting compliance. The critical takeaway from AI?usages?in Europe?include:

• Automated?literature and data review that speeds up the highly manual and time-intensive tasks of reviewing vast amounts of scientific literature, extracting and synthesizing data automatically.
• AI-driven regulatory and compliance dashboard that automates the continuous monitoring of regulatory updates and guidelines across multiple regions, a task that usually requires ongoing human intervention and analysis.
• Quality control document generation reduces the time investment in meeting regulatory documentation for specifications, test methods, and records of quality control checks.?

After I landed at Basel International Airport, the first thing I wanted was a cup of coffee. When I asked for a "large Americano," the barista looked at me quizzically and replied, "Do you mean a standard-size Americano?" Fair enough.

When it comes to AI in bioscience,?there's wisdom to be found in both approaches. In fact, they may be two parts of the same journey to better human health and quality of life. Standard size or not, cheers to sipping on this brew of progress—one cup of coffee and one AI innovation at a time.