British Nobel Prize Winners Share Their Reactions Upon Winning the Prize

Post by: Pratik Kumar

Photo : AP

Sir Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, along with his colleague Dr. John Jumper and U.S. scientist Dr. David Baker, have won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their revolutionary work combining artificial intelligence with biology. The trio’s groundbreaking achievements in developing the AI tool AlphaFold, which predicts protein structures with remarkable accuracy, have the potential to dramatically transform fields like medicine, vaccine development, and human health.

However, notifying Sir Demis of his win wasn't straightforward. "I don't think the committee had our phone numbers," he explained, after discovering he had been awarded the prestigious prize. The Swedish awards committee tried to contact him but ended up calling his wife on Microsoft Teams while she was busy working. Initially, she ignored the calls, but after the third or fourth attempt, she finally answered.

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Sir Demis and Dr. Jumper, both based in London, were recognized for their pioneering research on AlphaFold, an AI model that can predict the structure of millions of proteins, which are vital to all living organisms. This model, which they unveiled in 2020, can complete tasks in mere minutes that previously took researchers up to a year. The Nobel committee hailed their work as having the potential for a "truly huge" impact, especially in the development of medicines and tackling critical health issues.

Dr. Jumper shared his disbelief at the news. "I knew that the call [announcing the win] happened about an hour before the press conference," he said. "When it got to 30 minutes before the conference, I thought, 'Okay, not this year.'" However, to his surprise, he received a call from Sweden, which he described as "exceptional and unbelievable." Reflecting on the moment, he added, "The look on my wife's face was my favorite part... other than getting the Nobel Prize."

At 39 years old, Dr. Jumper is the youngest Nobel Chemistry laureate in 70 years. AlphaFold has enabled the prediction of virtually all 200 million proteins known to researchers, marking a significant advancement in the understanding of complex biological processes. The tool has helped scientists better comprehend antibiotic resistance, and even visualize enzymes that can break down plastic. Its ability to fast-track discoveries could revolutionize various scientific fields.

Dr. Jumper expressed his excitement about the future applications of AlphaFold, saying, "As thrilled as I am to receive the Nobel [Prize], I’ll be just as excited when the first Nobel is awarded for discoveries using AlphaFold—when it becomes the foundation of Nobel-worthy work for others."

Despite the accolades, concerns remain about the potential risks of such advanced technology. Some fear that AI tools like AlphaFold could be misused to create bioweapons or enhance viruses. This year, Dr. Baker, alongside other scientists, called for safeguards to be integrated into AI technologies dealing with proteins to prevent such misuse.

Sir Demis acknowledged these concerns, emphasizing the need for balance. "We need to be cautiously optimistic," he said. "We should be bold in applying it to beneficial uses, but also work to mitigate the risks where we can."

The trio will share the Nobel Prize’s reward of 11 million Swedish kroner (around £810,000) for their contributions to the field of chemistry, work that not only pushes the boundaries of AI and biology but could fundamentally change our understanding of life itself.

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