In the age of technology, precious items in the abstract have become all the more valuable. Simple ideas are worth thousands of dollars, and programs and software are truly indispensable. Even digital currency has begun to take root! However, with value comes those who wish to consolidate it all for themselves. In doing so, the world is robbed of progression through collaboration. Many programs have the ability to change people’s lives for the better, but they remain privatized and unavailable. To be fair, the amount of work that goes into these creations is immense; I would know, I study computer science and create programs frequently. It would be remiss of me to say that all of that work should go unrewarded in a society that, in a way, values avarice above helping others. However, it should be the top priority of the people to help those around them, and if a program has the ability to do that, it should be open to those who need it.
It is for this reason that I adore what the company DeepMind has done. They have created a software called AlphaFold that can dynamically predict the shape of different proteins from just a basic genetic sequence. I am by no means a biologist, so the total breadth of this software’s applications may be lost on me, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that this can help the field of biology in a major way. I first stumbled upon this software while reading a recent editorial published by Nature. I was intrigued, so I took a closer look, and even a few days after seeing it I am still impressed. With a simple search of an organism, the program pulls up all of the associated proteins and is able to show a 3D model of what every single one is projected to look like. This can be done with over 200 million different proteins! It gets even better, too; the whole program is open-source, and the database is just as accessible.
Nature is able to see the value in this openness.
“Their data, and their software needs to be freely shared — enabling development of the next generation of AI tools.”
This quote is in reference to not only DeepMind but any software company, and I could not agree more. The entire editorial holds this opinion with tenacity; collaboration will help the field of biology and others drastically. It is difficult, in my opinion, to see how any other conclusion can be drawn. A software like AlphaFold has its value because it is able to assist so many researchers and scientists study these normally imperceptible proteins. Without its reach, the software becomes grossly less effective. Nature does a fantastic job of explaining this throughout the editorial, and I found it to be illuminating and well worth a read!
Cheesecakeify My Opinion 