Photo courtesy of the interviewee).
Dear Cai Lei in 2030:
Hello!At this moment, I am standing on the threshold of the end of 2023, looking back on my work and life in the past year.
I am writing this letter to you, the future me, at this moment, which is my vision and reflection on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, as well as the overall outlook for the future society.
I hope that in your time, AI has made significant progress in medical research, and ALS has been completely overcome with the help of AI.
Challenging ALS is an impossible task at the moment. Because since the first case of ALS was discovered and described by humans in the past 200 years, there has been no major breakthrough in ALS, and it is still unknown, the target is unclear, and there is no drug or method to stop the development of the disease, with a rate of zero and an average of 2-5 years to death.
Some time ago, my team and I read more than 30,000 scientific studies** on ALS in a very short period of time, and we didn't find the answer. Therefore, I decided to expand the scope of my research to include topics related to neurodegenerative diseases, immunology, cytology, and genetics. The scientific community has accumulated a large amount of ** and research data in these areas, but the challenge is how to effectively integrate and understand this information.
The continuous upgrading of AI technology has brought new hope for breakthroughs in scientific research. My team and I used to study and summarize about 1,000 pieces of scientific research data every day, but recently, we began to use AI algorithms to assist in analysis**, reaching a processing speed of 10,000 articles per day, and are currently working towards the goal of 20 million articles, hoping to use AI tools to deeply analyze these complex scientific research data, as soon as possible to assist researchers to identify new biomarkers, drug targets, metabolic pathways, etc., and accelerate scientists' understanding of these diseases.
In the pharmaceutical field, I have a special expectation that AI will play a huge role in the development and design of drugs, so that the process of new drug discovery and clinical trials will be greatly accelerated. Perhaps with the help of AI, we can break through the limitations of neurodegenerative diseases that cannot be analyzed in vivo, simulate the biological mechanism of diseases, and use data and algorithms to achieve cloud drug testing, so as to design the best solutions for diseases faster and more accurately.
Hopefully, in 2030, your condition will be under control and reversed. AI-empowered wearable devices also enable you to regain the same life experience as a normal person, and you can continue to fight for other rare diseases.
It is hoped that AI technology has helped people with ALS to develop advanced assistive devices that provide some alternative functions, such as wheelchairs that can be controlled by the mind, brain-computer communication devices, and devices to assist breathing and swallowing, to help us improve our quality of life and prolong our survival.
In addition to breakthroughs in the medical field, I hope that AI is already playing a positive role in many aspects of society, freeing humans from the tedious and uncreative repetitive tasks of daily life, and allowing people to devote their energy to more creative and fulfilling work. I look forward to a society that uses AI technology to operate efficiently, where people can fully pursue their dreams and have more time to enjoy and experience the richness of life.
I want the world of the future to be a place of innovation and creativity, where imaginative children and young people can start using their creativity to change the world as early as possible. In a world where AI is not only a tool, but also a catalyst for creativity and implementation. I dream of a future where education will focus more on developing innovative thinking and problem-solving skills, and AI technology will play a key role in this process.
No matter how far AI technology has advanced, our core values as human beings – compassion, creativity, and curiosity – will always be indispensable. I hope that in the future, you and all others will be able to realize your self-worth and achieve long-term happiness and satisfaction in this world deeply affected by AI technology.
I wish you all the best.
Sincerely. Cai Lei.
December 2023.
The author is a well-known ALS public welfare person).