About this episode

Nicholas Thompson interviews Lee Cronin about digitizing the physical world through AI and its implications for chemistry and the origins of life.

How do you digitize the physical world? In this episode, Nick talks with University of Glasgow chemistry professor Lee Cronin, founder of Chemify—a company that is using AI to turn molecules to code s—about his quest to create a programming language for chemistry, what it means to “print” molecules, and how his team is able to discover new drugs and materials through their “chemputer.” He also discusses how the work is offering new insights into the origins of life on Earth and how to identify it on other planets. (00:00) Introduction (01:45) From setting fires to studying life (05:00) Creating a programming language for chemistry (09:20) Designing and “printing” new molecules (10:45) How hype has distorted AI’s promise (14:17) From sand to cells: the origin of life (16:01) Assembly theory and the bridge from nonlife to life (19:15) What it would take for AI to come alive (23:48) The most interesting way Lee has used AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Nicholas Thompson

Guest: Lee Cronin

Topics covered

• artificial life
• chemistry
• AI
• drug discovery
• origins of life
• programming language

Keywords

• AI
• chemistry
• molecules
• drug discovery
• origins of life
• programming language
• chemputer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Glasgow, Chemify

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