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Imagine for a moment if FB and Google took all their developers and resources and applied it to solving cancer, how long do you think it would take to make a de

by sizzle 4y ago

Imagine for a moment if FB and Google took all their developers and resources and applied it to solving cancer, how long do you think it would take to make a dent in the problem space? Or is there a hard limit stopping us from progressive like Moores law for scientific understanding.

SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
Yea… but instead, ads are like 3% more effective each year. So, you know, silver linings.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- NLPlatypus 4y ago
  Google does have a company Calico (California Life Corporation) (I’m hoping to work there after my PhD)
  - SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
    Sure if you are willing to ignore all evidence and instead go with a hopeful expectation of “doing good”.
throwaway0220 4y ago
> Imagine for a moment if FB and Google took all their developers and resources... It's a nice thought exercise, but of course not realistic. FAANGs wouldn't be able to attract or retain the talent if they were purely in scientific medical research (where do you think those fancy offices and fat paychecks comes from?). Having said that, it doesn't have to be either/or. I strongly believe that companies can be successful in balancing between thriving commercial businesses and using its profits to advance research that can benefit the society at large. Case in point: Google's DeepMind has for years published groundbreaking work in various areas including breast cancer research [1], protein folding [2], energy savings and climate change [3], and more. Also Calico [4], or its investments in health startups via GV, and of course all the well known services to users. What I'd like to see is more companies following a path where a portion of its profits is used to fund research in areas that can cause societal change for the better (which, in its turn, may eventually became new sources of revenue down the road - e.g. protein folding, self-driving cars). (disclaimer: Googler here, but no relationship with any of the projects mentioned) [1] https://www.deepmind.com/publications/international-evaluation-of-an-ai-system-for-breast-cancer-screening https://www.deepmind.com/publications/international-evaluati... [2] https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/22/1029973/deepmind-alphafold-protein-folding-biology-disease-drugs-proteome/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/22/1029973/deepmind... [3] https://www.deepmind.com/blog/real-world-challenges-for-agi https://www.deepmind.com/blog/real-world-challenges-for-agi [4] https://www.calicolabs.com/ https://www.calicolabs.com/

by sizzle 4y ago

SV_BubbleTime 4y ago

Yea… but instead, ads are like 3% more effective each year. So, you know, silver linings.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
NLPlatypus 4y ago
Google does have a company Calico (California Life Corporation) (I’m hoping to work there after my PhD)
- SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
  Sure if you are willing to ignore all evidence and instead go with a hopeful expectation of “doing good”.

throwaway0220 4y ago

> Imagine for a moment if FB and Google took all their developers and resources... It's a nice thought exercise, but of course not realistic. FAANGs wouldn't be able to attract or retain the talent if they were purely in scientific medical research (where do you think those fancy offices and fat paychecks comes from?). Having said that, it doesn't have to be either/or. I strongly believe that companies can be successful in balancing between thriving commercial businesses and using its profits to advance research that can benefit the society at large. Case in point: Google's DeepMind has for years published groundbreaking work in various areas including breast cancer research [1], protein folding [2], energy savings and climate change [3], and more. Also Calico [4], or its investments in health startups via GV, and of course all the well known services to users. What I'd like to see is more companies following a path where a portion of its profits is used to fund research in areas that can cause societal change for the better (which, in its turn, may eventually became new sources of revenue down the road - e.g. protein folding, self-driving cars). (disclaimer: Googler here, but no relationship with any of the projects mentioned) [1] https://www.deepmind.com/publications/international-evaluation-of-an-ai-system-for-breast-cancer-screening https://www.deepmind.com/publications/international-evaluati... [2] https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/22/1029973/deepmind-alphafold-protein-folding-biology-disease-drugs-proteome/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/22/1029973/deepmind... [3] https://www.deepmind.com/blog/real-world-challenges-for-agi https://www.deepmind.com/blog/real-world-challenges-for-agi [4] https://www.calicolabs.com/ https://www.calicolabs.com/