☕ AI for drug discovery

Ginkgo Biotech rolls out API.

October 07, 2024 It's Monday. ChatGPT, but for biotech? One company is looking to make it happen. "What we're doing here is basically making a model API akin to the OpenAI or Anthropic APIs, so that others can now build great tools on top of them and access those model predictions," Ginkgo Biotech's head of AI told Tech Brew's Patrick Kulp. In today's edition: This biotech company just rolled out a new API for synthetic biology AI models What does a proposed ban on Chinese tech mean for the US auto industry? C-suite concerns over AI growing: report —Patrick Kulp, Jordyn Grzelewski, Eoin Higgins, Annie Saunders AI Bots to biotech Artemisdiana/Getty Images With biotechnology on the verge of a "ChatGPT moment," Ginkgo Bioworks has ambitious plans to position itself as the OpenAI or Anthropic of that wave. The biotech company recently rolled out its own large language model (LLM) for building proteins, as well as an API that allows researchers and developers to access that model and other synthetic biology AI systems. The announcement builds on a partnership Ginkgo announced with Google Cloud last year. The rollout comes as several new companies have sought to bring the same fundamental generative AI tech behind models like ChatGPT to programmable biology, which could aid in drug discovery and other breakthroughs. Ginkgo sees two of its key advantages in this race as its proprietary data and automation tools. It wants its API to serve as a marketplace for developers to build on top of, similar to what big LLM companies like OpenAI and Anthropic offer for the tech industry, according to Ankit Gupta, head of AI at Ginkgo. "We're basically making this ecosystem by which Ginkgo becomes a tools provider to the entire industry," Gupta told Tech Brew. "What we're doing here is basically making a model API akin to the OpenAI or Anthropic APIs, so that others can now build great tools on top of them and access those model predictions." Keep reading here.—PK From The Crew Get better at Excel Discover Miss Excel's secret hacks to unleash the full power of Microsoft Excel. This free workshop will share hidden tricks for optimizing your spreadsheets with data cleaning + analysis to save you hours each week. The best news: If you can't attend live, you'll also get access to a 48-hour replay when you register. Register today for this FREE live workshop and save hours each week. FUTURE OF TRAVEL It's complicated Anna Kim Auto supply chains are famously complex. Why not throw in another twist? A US Commerce Department proposal that would ban the sale or import of connected and autonomous vehicles made with Chinese and Russian software and hardware could do just that. In announcing the proposal last month, the department's Bureau of Industry and Security characterized the move as "a proactive measure designed to protect our national security and the safety of US drivers." "Cars today have cameras, microphones, GPS tracking, and other technologies connected to the internet," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. "It doesn't take much imagination to understand how a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the privacy of US citizens." Commerce officials said they are trying to get ahead of Chinese technology being used to surveil American residents or even threaten critical infrastructure. Biden administration officials have also cited economic competitiveness amid concerns about low-priced, high-tech Chinese EVs hitting the US market and undercutting the domestic manufacturers that the Biden administration has sought to boost via its climate and economic agenda. Keep reading here.—JG AI A sense of unease Getty Images Are you feeling AI-nxious? If you're in the C-suite, you might be. That's according to a new IDC InfoBrief report, commissioned by managed service provider Expereo. A little under half of all respondents across the US, UK, Europe, and APAC regions—40%—say that the CIO role may be endangered because of a rise in the chief AI officer role. US respondents, notably, were less concerned: only 28% reported concern on the topic. Jean-Philippe Avelange, Expereo's CIO, told IT Brew that the broader context of the CIO concerns come from how respondents were taken a bit by surprise by the widespread adoption of AI technology. That's not a bad thing, he added, but it is something that requires recalibration. "I personally believe that there will be, for the long run, still a number of topics that the CIO office will need to take care of, and AI will not replace all these tomorrow," Avelange said. "I think it's a complementary role, more than a replacement." Keep reading here.—EH Together With Cisco Cybersecurity in 2024 and beyond. Did you know that 54% of companies have experienced a cybersecurity incident in the past year? Yep—the truth is that in this era of AI, hyperconnectivity, and distributed work, the threat landscape is complicated and diverse. That's why Cisco has outlined recommendations designed to up your cybersecurity game. Read them here. Level up your career with these resources from our sponsors! Solve real-world challenges by using feature flags to deliver software without compromising quality Investing, inflation, index funds…what? For all things money—in a digestible and witty way—check out The Money with Katie Show. BITS AND BYTES Stat: 58%. That's the proportion of Americans who believe EVs are cleaner than gas-fueled cars, down 5 percentage points from 2022, NPR reported, citing Ipsos data. 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